Pieces of Yesterday
by Tsaritza Mika
Summary: What happened, who they were, and who was lost forever. Kaname remembers everything after the Omni Sphere reset the world.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

The sun hung low in the sky. The warm air of late afternoon going unnoticed by the people walking down the shadow covered sidewalks. One girl in particular walked with an almost tangible feel of melancholy. It was April 24th. Four days ago, she would have met an unusual young man with scruffy hair and a scar on his cheek. Four days ago would have been the first of many strange occurrences that would have brought them closer together. Four days of no explosions, no misunderstandings, no tear gas filled class rooms, and no surprises that resulted in the almost apocalyptic reactions to these situations.

Four days of no Sousuke.

Kaname's hand gripped the handle of the large shopping bag from the electronics store at the various thoughts that crossed her mind. Sure, it had been almost a week, but it was still difficult to believe.

Leonard had won. But, for some reason, she could remember everything.

Everything that she had come to know, and everyone she came to care for, were just gone. Another random tear found its way down her cheek. She had tried to test herself many times since the morning of April 20th, but no matter what she couldn't find any proof of what she had once known. She checked the internet, as well as nearly every history book in the school library. Nothing was ever recorded about the existence of armslaves. She even checked all of the magazine stores within nearly a five mile radius, and came up empty. Leonard had succeeded in resetting the time-line. As far as the world was concerned, things like armslaves and Black Technology were nothing more than figments of the imagination. For the first time, Kaname truly wished that she would be pulled into the Whispered trance, if only to assure herself that she would see everyone again.

"…Sousuke", she whispered as yet another stray tear rolled down her face.

It was still a mystery to her that she could remember everything that had happened, but Kaname was starting to suspect that after being overshadowed by Sophia, maybe that had shielded her memories from being reset somehow. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Kaname made her way onto the train heading back toward home. Finding a seat by the door, she took another look into her shopping bag. She had purchased a laptop. It hadn't been overly expensive, but her Father would probably call her in the next few days to ask her about the amount on her credit card.

The first two days after the 20th had been filled with an odd mixture of depression and anticipation. Kaname had spent those days watching and listening for anything that would signal any existence of Sousuke within Jindai's halls. The 23rd had been one of hardest days. Some maintenance was being done on the Gymnasium, and every time they knocked something down, or made excess noise, Kaname would get her hopes up. At one point she had been returning from the teachers' room with fresh attendance sheets in her arms. The sound of one construction worker's jackhammer had sounded similar to bullets being fired, causing her to rush over and smack the unsuspecting man with her halisen. After a rather interesting conversation with Principal Tsuboi, she had apologized to the worker and continued back to the classroom.

Today though, had been a day off from school, and it was when she had decided to look for any evidence of the world she once knew. She probably had a fair number of shop owners wondering if she had gone off the deep end, or had just been watching _way_ too much anime. Either way, she had found herself wandering aimlessly by the numerous shops when she had glanced over to the electronics window. Making a decision, Kaname went in and asked one of the associates for help in finding a good laptop that would work for her. It wasn't really anything special, but for what she was planning, it was more than adequate.

Reaching her stop, she got off the train and resumed her trek back to her apartment. After about twenty minutes, Kaname unlocked her door and began setting up her new laptop. Once everything seemed like it was ready, she stood to make herself a cup of tea. Once she poured herself a cup, she found herself momentarily lost in it. Thoughts of everything and everyone she once knew seemed to swirl and blend together, just like the milk she had added. Kaname watched it a moment, remembering the talk she had had with Tessa so long ago. Feeling the tears beginning to gather again, Kaname wiped them away quickly and retreated back to her dining table, taking a seat in front of the keyboard.

With a long, steadying breath, she opened a fresh notepad document and began typing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

The bell sounded for lunch as the History teacher began to finish his lecture on the Heian period. He had droned on for another two agonizing minutes before Kaname was able to give the order for the class to rise and bow. Once excused for lunch, she opened her desk and brought out her laptop. Furiously typing, she hardly noticed Kyoko and Ren approaching. "Hey, Kaname?"

"Yeah, what's up Ky?" Kaname was still typing as she spoke. She had spent the last five days recalling every memory she could of how the world was before Leonard's Omni Sphere changed it all. It had been extremely difficult to do, mostly because she had no pictures or notes of any kind to provide her with an easy reference. Kaname had had to scour the internet for all of the weapons she knew still existed, but couldn't name for the life of her. She also had decided that she would rename everyone, just in case someone should ever find her laptop and start reading through it all. Needless to say, Kaname had been _very_ busy the last couple of days.

"Well, Ren-chan and I were just wondering what you keep writing on that computer of yours. You've been at it for days, and it doesn't look like you're gonna finish anytime soon."

"Yes Kaname-san, we were just curious, but if you prefer not to say we don't mind." Ren always was one of the most patient and kind people Kaname had ever known. It was just like her to say something like that.

"Oh, well, u-um…"

"It's no big deal Kana-chan, if you don't wanna tell us that's fine," replied Kyoko with her usual bright smile. Kaname couldn't help but return her cheerful gaze. Kyoko and Ren had been more than worried about her since that morning last week, but had respectfully offered quiet support. For a moment, Kaname was amazed at just how much her friends cared about her. They had been trying to comfort her, but didn't even realize what they were offering it for. That first morning, she had been practically sobbing in a secluded corner of the school, having realized just what had happened to the fullest extent. Both of them had come over to hug her, and never once asked what the problem was. Sad as it was, Kaname wouldn't have been able to tell them anyway.

"Thanks guys. I'm still not quite ready for people to know yet. But when I am, I'll bring it to you guys first."

"Okay! Did you want to join us outside for lunch today? It's a really nice day out."

"Hm. No, not today. I will tomorrow though, okay?"

"Of course Kaname-san, see you later."

"Yeah, bye Ren, Kyoko."

"See-ya Kana-chan!" After waving to them from her seat, Kaname continued typing up every memory to the last detail. She would make sure that even if the rest of the world forgot, even if the people she came to care for didn't exist in this timeline, at least she would remember who they had been and what they had done for her.

Meanwhile, as Kyoko and Ren made their way toward the outside tables, Kyoko was nearly knocked over when a student came barreling around the corner. While Ren helped her regain her balance, the other student had lost his footing and ended up sitting in the dirt. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Kyoko finished fixing her glasses, finally getting a good look at who almost sent her back down the hallway. It was a boy with wild chestnut hair, and the strangest grey eyes she'd ever seen.

Kaname sat and stared daggers at the computer screen in front of her. Just because her memories were precious to her, didn't mean she was particularly fond of the tactics Tessa tried using on Sousuke. She was beginning to document the first time she had come to visit, using the time until Da Daanan had been repaired as a short vacation. Kaname had stopped short of the moment Tessa had attempted to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, on a certain sergeant who didn't need it. Squashing the urge to growl, Kaname once again reminded herself that in this timeline, she had no reason to be mad at Tessa. She still wasn't even sure if there even _was_ a Tessa in this timeline to be mad at. '_Besides, even if there was, there's a chance that she and Sousuke would never have met_,' she thought. '_If there even is a Sousuke anymore_.' Her thoughts started turning on her again, replaying moments she could have told him how she felt, or at least could have been a bit more understanding. Without warning, her mind brought her back to the time he held her close, floating down from the high Cliffside mansion of a strange rich boy. So captivated by the memory of the fading sunlight being reflected in those enigmatic grey eyes, she hardly noticed the other students coming back into the classroom. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned to find Kyoko smiling back at her.

"Better put that laptop away Kana-chan, you know how Ms. Kagurazaka feels about electronics in the classroom."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll just save my place and close everything down. She'll probably let me do _that_ much." While she saved and closed down her programs, Ms. Kagurazaka took her place at the teacher's podium.

"Alright class, today will be a free period so that I can grade yesterdays test. But first, we have a new student joining us today."

"This late in the day?" one student called out.

"Yes well, he's been living in the U.S. for the last few years, so I think we can cut him some slack with navigating to the school. It's hard enough being new, so take it upon yourselves to be friendly and open minded. You can come in now, Sagara-san." Kaname's blood froze in her veins. Did she hear right? Was it just another trick of the mind due to her regret? Slowly she put her desktop back down and lifted her gaze to the front of the room. The uniform was just like any other. '_No trick there_,' she thought. Rising a little higher, she caught that the top of the uniform was left open. '_Not what he would have done, but still within normal mannerisms_.' Higher still, and when she reached his jaw she stopped cold.

She'd recognize that scar anywhere.

Unable to look away, Kaname almost missed it when he finally spoke. "Hello. I'm Sagara Sousuke. Nice to meet you all." At that moment, his voice was the most beautiful sound Kaname had ever heard in her life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

The early evening breeze played with her hair as Kaname sat on the grassy embankment near the river. The now naked Popsicle stick still sticking out of her mouth as she tried to think about her uniquely complicated life. _'Geez!'_ she thought as one hand came up to furiously mess her bangs out of her face. _'First, I'm an endless bucket of technological know-how just waiting to be dumped into some random psycho's gift bag; **THEN**, I get to have Sergeant Sabotage trailing me 24 hours a day; **EVEN THEN**, I get kidnapped and taken all the way across the globe to be made to sit and look pretty! But wait, there's more ladies and gents! Then I get to have all my initial hopes and dreams dashed to be-geezus and back just because some pretty boy decides to play god!'_ Heaving a long sigh, she sat back on her hands and stared at the picturesque sunset that played with the ever darkening cityscape. _'And here I once thought going through puberty would be the biggest hurdle to look forward to,'_ she thought as she took the Popsicle stick from her mouth to place on the wrapper.

That morning had started out just like all the others so far. Get up, shower, eat, go to school, and type whatever she could at lunch. She was then supposed to collect her assigned homework, go home, make her dinner, type some more while eating, finish homework, and go to bed. But NO! Just when she was beginning to accept things as they were and consider new possibilities…

"…Sousuke. I know it's you, but…" Kaname wasn't sure how to finish that thought. She was beginning to understand how Marty McFly must've felt trying to explain to Doc Brown who he was and why he was in 1955. The comparison managed to pull a small smile from her, as she mentally replaced Marty with herself, and the eccentric Doc with Sousuke. "Eccentric. Heh, I guess he still would be no matter what timeline he was stuck in." Her thought turned back to earlier that afternoon, when her world, yet again, turned upside down.

______________________________________________________________________________________

It took every bit of willpower to stop her jaw from dropping at the unbelievable sight Kaname witnessed at the front of the classroom. Sousuke was here. He was alive. Here was _HERE_! _'Does he remember anything like I do, or would he have been a completely different Sousuke than I remember?'_ she thought. Watching carefully as he stood near the teachers' podium with a slight smile on his face, Kaname tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. Just when she thought she would go insane from the all consuming silence that seemed to permeate the room for those few agonizingly long milliseconds, he finally spoke.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Sagara Sousuke. I just moved here from California with my older sister, whose starting her research studies at Tokyo University." _'Even his voice is the same,'_ she thought with a slight blush on her cheeks. That was when some of the other students began asking their random questions. _'Yes! Now I don't have to muster the courage to do it myself!'_ she thought. A brief mental picture of an oversized and maniacal looking Kaname with her fellow students attached to the strings on her fingers popped into her mind. She could hear the oddly huge representation cackle, _'Yes! Dance my puppets! Dance!'_ Managing to shake the image from her mind, Kaname focused on trying to discern if this Sousuke was even a fraction of the one she remembered.

"So where in California are you from Sagara-kun?" _'Thank you Ryo!'_

"I lived with my family in Newport Beach." _'Huh? Really? Well at least he didn't list off the most recent military hotspots.'_

"Uh, if you don't mind my asking, how did you get those scars on your face?" _'I love you Kyoko!'_

"No, I don't mind. One's from a snowboarding accident I had a while back, and the other…" _'The other what! The other **WHAT**?! What's wrong with the other?!'_

"It wasn't from a serious accident or something was it?" _'Good job Ono-D! I owe you a soda for that!"_

"No, it's just embarrassing. I was at my cousin's birthday party, and well, nobody told me the punch was spiked. After a couple drinks, apparently I thought I was Tony Hawk and tried to do a 360 off one of the boardwalk railings." Kaname felt floored. If anyone a few months ago had asked her what she thought she'd never see, this moment would right at the top of her list. Not only was Sousuke smiling, he just laughed too. _'It sounded so carefree,'_ she thought as she felt a few tears gather under her thick lashes. Determined not to get caught crying, she quickly blinked them away. A few other hands in the class went up as more people attempted to ask a question or two, but Ms. Kagurazaka had decided that those few were enough.

"Alright class, that will be all for now. Sagara-san, you can take the vacant seat behind Chidori-san. Chidori-san, could you please raise your hand?" Kaname flinched slightly and raised her hand. She tried in vain to calm herself, but with every step he took toward her she could feel her heart flutter with excitement. Almost lamely she hoped that he would say something completely otaku, if only to distract her from the typhoon raging inside her. The slight breeze she felt as he passed by brought with it a light musky scent. Resisting the urge to close her eyes as she inhaled the faint aroma, Kaname finished letting her hand back down and faced Ms. Kagurazaka.

"Alright class, I will be grading the tests at my desk if you need anything. This will be a free period, but keep your voices at a reasonable volume so that others can work on their assignments." After Ms. Kagurazaka had retreated to her desk, a fair number of students migrated over to finish learning about their newest classmate. Kazama had wasted no time, asking about his various hobbies or school clubs. He has since been added to Kaname's list of people to hug later on.

"I was in a few clubs at my other school actually. There was the Surfing Club, Paintball Club, Dance Club…"

"_You_ were in a _dance_ club?" Certainly one of the most unlikely activities Kaname ever thought any version of Sousuke would be included in; dance would probably be right up there with performing Shakespeare. _'Still,'_ she thought. _'There has to be a reason for it. Whether or not this is even the same Sousuke is irrelevant right now. I mean, the Sousuke I knew thought that the only real significance for Christmas was that the Russians would let their guard down!'_

"Yes, is that strange Chidori?"

"Uh, well, um…n-no. Not really, just, you don't seem like the dancing type is all." _'Real smooth Kaname, you're a real charmer.'_

"That's understandable. But in reality, dancing can be seen as an extreme form of aerobics. Both have similar benefits as well as characteristics. I was part of the dance club mostly to increase my flexibility and timing. Although having fun was a large part of why I stayed." A small chuckle slipped through, and Kaname couldn't help but be fascinated by the way his eyes seemed to light up when he spoke about his former home. Even if his response wasn't as otaku as she thought, it did seem within reasonable limits.

"So you really had Surfing and Paintball Clubs at your old school?"

"Yes. I was also the designated Lieutenant of our unofficial BattleTech team." _'THERE HE IS! YES! I knew it! Go me; Go me!'_

"BattleTech?! Seriously? You really play Sagara-kun?" It was almost comical how wide Kazama's eyes got when the strange phrase was mentioned. _'I guess Shinji was just destined to worship the ground Sousuke walks on,'_ Kaname pondered.

"What the heck is BattleTech?" _'Ooh, bad move Maya. Never ask otaku's to explain their weirdness. You could be stuck there for hours listening to the world's youngest bottomless pit of useless military jargon.'_

"BattleTech is a strategic tabletop game, where the players use miniature mehcas to simulate futuristic wars against other rivaling mech factions. We also use various tanks and technologically advanced soldiers, as well as complicated strategies in order to win."

_'I guess this is what happens when you get what you asked for.'_ Turning back around in her desk, Kaname opened her history book, hoping to finish most of it before the end of class. The less homework she had to take home, the more time she could devote to typing up her memories. She kept on ear trained on the various conversations behind her as she worked, and managed to learn a little more about this strange new Sousuke.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Kaname stood and stretched in the fading light of the sunset. The sun had dipped below the cluster of buildings a few minutes ago, and the sky was now illuminated by vibrant reds, oranges, golds, and purples. Leaning back down to take her purse and pick up the Popsicle wrapper, Kaname could faintly make out the sounds of a somewhat large group of people headed in her direction. Since the phenomenon of the Whispered had been erased from history, she ignored the approaching group and continued toward the trash can at the sidewalk. Right as she had dropped the wrapper, Kaname felt someone put a hand on her shoulder and move in much closer than she would have liked.

"Hey sweetie, you're looking pretty hot in those shorts. Why don't you join us for a nice cold drink or somethin' huh? We'll be sure to make it worth your while?"

"Thanks, but if I wanted to stare at Neanderthals, I'd go to a museum!"

"W-what the hell did you say bitch!?" Coming in closer her grabbed her shirt collar, bringing her closer to his angry mug of a face.

"Get your hand off me NOW!" Reacting quickly, Kaname introduced his groin to her kneecap. As soon as his grip loosened, she shoved him back toward his four cronies and bolted down the street. Not long after that she could hear the small gang following her, and before thinking ahead for the possible danger, dodged down a thin alleyway. The alley itself wouldn't even be wide enough to accommodate a miniature economy vehicle, but when Kaname came face to face with a dead end, the size of the gangsters seemed to only grow. Trying desperately not to panic, Kaname took hold of an old two-by-four that had been propped up in the corner.

"Stay away! I mean it! Stay back or I'll…"

"Or you'll what you freakin' whore!?"

"Yeah, what you gonna do chicky? Try to peck our eyes out?" Their loud, ruckus laughter seemed to make the thin alley seem even smaller. Almost casually, they started moving in. One of them had opened up a switchblade, and promised that if she screamed, he'd make sure she'd never need to buy lipstick again. As the closest one drew back his arm to punch her, Kaname held up the two-by-four as if it would protect her like the Lambda driver used to. The over-sized fist seemed to come at her in slow motion; just when she closed her eyes tightly and crossed her arms in front of her, she heard a loud crack. Carefully opening one eye, Kaname saw the punk sprawled on the concrete in front of her. A medium sized rock lay near her foot, and that back of the gangsters head now sported a rather nice lump half the size of a grapefruit.

"Resorting to violence? Not very manly of you." A young man with dark scruffy hair stood at the entrance to the alleyway.

"What's it to ya, punk?"

"Yeah, what are you gonna do about it girly man?"

"I believe you owe Chidori and apology. Real men would never mistreat a woman."

"I've heard enough outta you!" One of the larger gangsters lunged forward to try and take his new opponent down. Moving almost impossibly fast, the young man took two long sticks from his bag and made a quick strike to the left side of the gangsters' neck. Once the gangster was down, he moved back into a defense position, leaving the four other punks to decide whether or not to back down.

"If you leave now, you won't end up like your friend. I would choose wisely if I were you, experiencing a broken bone is quite painful."

"Screw you man! You're gonna pay for doin' that to our buddy!" Each of them yelled and began to advance on their new opponent, whose eyes were now focused with rage.

"Have it your way then." He moved as if he already knew what moves they would make, easily countering each of them with the twin sticks held tightly within his calloused hands. One by one the gangsters began to fall under the effortless attacks, the moves themselves resembling a strange dance of some sort. Within minutes, every one of the gangsters lay crumpled on the cold concrete ground. Each would either have a broken or fractured bone or just a round of extremely painful bruises when they woke up.

Finally lowering the two-by-four she had kept close to her during the exchange, Kaname tried to get a better view of her savior from within the heavy shadows of the cramped alley. "Chidori, are you alright? Did they injure you at all?" Kaname knew those words, and better still, she knew the voice behind them as well. At the corner of the building near the entrance to the alley, a streetlight blinked to life, finally illuminating the only proof she needed to know who it was that saved her.

Only one person could ever have that scar.

"Sousuke?"

"Chidori, are you hurt at all?" Tears began to gather at her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time in the last few days. Since she had first met him, he'd always kept his emotions carefully guarded behind a mask of collected calm. Now, as they stood there in the shadows with minimal light, Kaname couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the amount of emotion that was shown within those deep grey eyes. Not only had he been worried, but this time, he didn't try to hide it. She could see it all as clear as if it was day, and knowing that he was finally free to express such feelings without any traces of fear or hesitation, Kaname couldn't help but cry tears of happiness for him. The tears now flowing freely down her face, Sousuke came closer and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her face. "Are you hurt anywhere Chidori? Should I call an ambulance?"

Taking a few deep breaths, Kaname steadied herself. "No, thank you Sousuke. I'm fine, they didn't hurt me."

Leaning over, he lightly took hold of her arm and guided her back out of the alley. Making sure to grab his grocery bags that had been forgotten in the fight, he turned back to face her. "I can walk you home if you like." Unable to stop the smile that came, she nodded and fell into step with him as they began the walk back to her apartment.

"Hey, Sousuke."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for saving me."

"It's not a problem Chidori."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

Kaname yawned and leaned back in her chair, stretching out the overworked muscles in her arms and fingers. It was warm Sunday morning, and the sky was an almost brilliant shade of blue. The weather man had reported a weekend full of cloudy days with a high probability or rainstorms, so of course it was sunny. She had woken up earlier than usual, and after a nice and simple breakfast, had decided to get some more typing in. As she worked, the words began to make her chest feel tight, and she had to hold back the tears that threatened to fall as she documented the moment she had walked into Sousuke's empty apartment. Though it had happened so long ago, the feelings of fear and loneliness had left a deep wound on her heart. One that could only be helped by finding Sergeant Dumb-ass and beating the shear and utter crap out of him. Sure, beating him up hadn't been in her original plans, but just leave it to him to ruin a perfectly romantic moment in less than a fraction of a second. Leaving her balcony door open to catch the cool breeze, Kaname stood to pack up her necessary notebooks. She was supposed to meet Kyoko and Ren at the Station for a relaxing few hours of shopping, and then head to Sousuke's apartment to collaborate their information for the history project.

Fujisaki-sensei had been exceedingly cruel with this assignment. They were to pair up with up to two other students, choose an era of Japan's history, and give a 5-10 minute presentation on their research and findings. Thankfully, Kaname was able to talk her way into the report on the Edo period, meaning that she had her work cut out for her. The Tokugawa Shoganate was one of the better known time periods of Japan's history, and that made the available resources practically endless. Kaname had managed to get Kyoko on her team as well, they were about to try to get Ren too, when Fujisaki-sensei had requested that they let Sousuke work with them for the assignment. He had said that since Sousuke's grades in his class weren't quite up to standard, that he should be pared with his class representative to ensure a decent score. None of them minded of course, but for some reason Sousuke seemed somewhat nervous when they had mentioned trading off apartments for their study sessions. Kaname pondered the possibilities as she put the last of her notebooks into her bag.

_'I hope he's not living in some run-down old shack or something,'_ she thought. Images of Sousuke huddled in a corner while wrapped up in a paper-thin blanket as he read his homework assignments came to mind, but she quickly dismissed them. _'If that was the case, I'm pretty sure he'd look a little worse for wear by now.' _Kaname was pulled from her thoughts when she felt the hamster ball bump into her ankle. Glancing at the clock, she made sure to put the small mammal back in his cage and lock up the balcony door. After tying the bow into her hair and grabbing her keys, she headed out the door to the station.

_____________________________________________________________________________

After arriving at the station around 11am, Kaname met up with Kyoko and Ren at the Ohaiyo café for some fried tridents. Not long afterward, the usual gossiping ensued as they wandered from shop to shop. Passing by a small bookshop, Kaname noticed a few had been displayed in the large window near the door. She slowed to take a look, when one in the corner caught her eye_. 'The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War. Oh boy, Sousuke would probably have gone nuts over that. That is, if he wasn't highlighting all of the misinterpretations and commenting on how some of it was wrongfully documented.'_ Trying to stifle a laugh, Kyoko and Ren had returned to glance inside the window as well.

"Oh, looks like the bookstore is having a sale."

"Yeah, but it looks like it's just their reference and war history books. I bet Shinji and Sousuke would probably buy out half the store if they could, huh Kana-chan?" The mere thought of the two boys trying to haul out half the entire store in wheelbarrows had Kyoko giggling.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Not realizing the dreamy look that was now on her face, Kaname had left herself wide open for a good old fashioned round of teasing. With a flash of Kyoko's camera to preserve the moment, the proverbial sharks came to circle the prey.

"So…what's that spacey look for Kana? Thinking of anyone special?"

"What? Seriously Ky, what would give you _that_ idea? HAHAHAHAHAHA!" _'And here I thought I had finally quit that stupid laugh. They already know what it means! Stupid! Quick, find something, anything to change the subject!'_ Kaname just knew that now she'd probably never hear the end of this. Glancing around for anything that would prove as a valid distraction from where the conversation would most likely go, she found a nearby trendy shop that might just save her skin. "H-hey let's go in that shop! It looks so cool!" Turning quickly before Kyoko could counter with anything more, Kaname made her way into the clothing shop. The semi-loud music thumped as other young men and women drifted through the clusters of clothing and accessories. Noticing the new skirts were on special, Kaname decided to check out a few of the pairs near the wall. She never heard Kyoko sneak up behind her until it was too late.

"You think maybe Sousuke will like it Kaname?"

"I'm not sure if he likes blue or not-ACK! Kyoko what the hell!?" She had practically been right on top of her for a moment, her head placed ever so carefully next to Kaname's shoulder so that she could see the skirt she had picked off of the wrack. _'I swear she was a ninja in a past life!'_

"Come on Kana-chan, you know you can't hide anything from me for very long. Besides, he is kind of handsome isn't he?" Kaname was starting to feel apprehensive, and tried desperately not to blush. Still, Kaname began to reconsider a few things. Maybe she could use this new life to do things differently than before. She had wasted so much time and effort to hide her feelings from Sousuke before, and all that had gotten her was a huge amount of regret. Whether or not it was a different timeline, the things that made her fall for him before were essentially still there; she'd discovered as much the night he had walked her home. _'That's it,'_ Kaname thought. _'No more crying and feeling sorry for myself! What's done is done, and I can't change it. I've been given a second chance to be with the man I love, and I will NOT take it for granted! Kaname Chidori never gave up before and she won't start now!'_ Still feeling a bit shaken at being found out so easily, Kaname decided to go with a safe rout. She still had to keep in mind that in this timeline, she and Sousuke had practically just met.

"I-I'm not sure of anything right now Ky. I know he's a good guy and all, but..." _'There, Kyoko would understand that. One step at a time Kaname.' _Even if she had already admitted things to herself long ago, Kaname had to play things out carefully. She'd have to keep in mind that this time around, there would be no hijackings or kidnappings to bring them together. Kaname would have to make her own opportunities, and if one were presented to her, she'd have to take the chance to grab it.

"You know, it's okay to like him Kaname. You do so much for everyone else, so it would be okay if you did something for yourself once and a while."

"Thanks Kyoko. I'll keep that in mind." Kaname took another deep breath before steadying herself once more. "Anyway, what are we just standing around here for? We came here to shop, and I'm not leaving until I find at least one new outfit!"

"That's the spirit Kaname, go get 'em!" Over the next two hours the three girls roamed from shop to shop, each finding something that apparently they just had to have. By the time they done, each had at least two bags filled with clothing and new accessories. Deciding to stop at the soba shop for some noodles, the girls found a table and waited for their food. "So Ren, has Hayashimizu-sempai asked you out yet?"

"P-pardon?"

"Oh come on Ren, everyone can see it. Why don't you just admit it already?"

For a moment, there was a small blush on Ren's cheeks. Their lighthearted teasing was then paused as they received their noodles. Some other random gossip dotted their conversation over the pleasant lunch, and at one point a fishcake had ended up in Kyoko's hair. But of course that had nothing to do with the comment she had made about what Kaname could do if she ever brought Sousuke noodles. It had been reminiscent of an old Disney movie where the two characters had been put into a very romantic situation involving their plate of spaghetti. _'But,'_ Kaname thought. _'One never knows just what tomorrow will bring.'_ Checking the time after lunch, Kaname and Kyoko realized that they had to meet Sousuke over at his apartment to collaborate their history assignment. Making a quick phone call, Ren excused herself and promised to see them Monday morning.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

After catching a cab and relaying the address Sousuke had given them, Kaname began to feel a little excited. She started to wonder what this Sousuke would consider casual clothing. Back then she had only ever seen him in slacks and button down when he wasn't in his SRT uniform; and even then it was still technically some form of button up shirt. Normal t-shirts were a rarity for him, even on the weekend. It took almost ten minutes to reach the building that matched the address, and when the girls saw it, they asked the driver if he was sure they were at the correct address. The building itself was huge, and had what looked like a very nice reception area with electronically guarded elevator access. Glancing at the sign, Kaname had to wonder if she was going slightly mad. _'**THIS** is Tiger's Mansion?! You've gotta be kidding me! Then what're the apartments across from mine called now? Seriously, I know there were some massive changes when the Omni Sphere activated, but come on!' _Once the cab driver was paid, Kaname and Kyoko carefully walked through the large polarized glass doors and approached the receptionist's desk.

"Hello ladies, how can I help you?"

"Uh, apparently we have a friend who lives here? Sagara Sousuke in apartment B-3128." Kaname couldn't help but wonder how the hell Sousuke could afford living in such a grand building. More importantly, if he could afford to live here, why wouldn't he want to attend a more prestigious school? As good as Jindai High was, there were much more exclusive schools out there that some people could only dream of getting accepted to. Besides, Hayashimizu-sempai was pretty well off, but he was an exception.

"Ah yes, I've been told to expect you. Wait just one moment while I make you your access cards."

"Access cards?"

"Yes. I've been instructed to make you each an access card for the elevator so that you may come and go as you please."

"Oh, I see."

"Please keep in mind though, that by resident request, we reserve the right to relinquish these cards at any time. Also, if you intend to bring anyone with you who does not have a card, you need the permission of the resident, and give at least twenty-four hours notice." The receptionist rambled on a few more rules as she entered their names into the computer and began to print out their clearance cards. The whole ordeal took no more than maybe five minutes, but as Kaname and Kyoko stood in the rising elevator, they couldn't help but wonder about a few things. Thankfully though, all of those questions would be answered as soon as they found the right apartment.

_______________________________________________________

Kaname and Kyoko wandered down the plush hallway, each keeping watch on the doors to find the one Sousuke lived in. Finally, near the end of the hall they found it and rang the bell. They could hear a faint reply from behind the door, and waited patiently while taking in the décor of the hallway. The hallway itself could have been in some five star hotels with the way it looked. Thin tables with mirror tops were set up in small wall alcoves to display beautiful exotic plants, and a few walls had large abstract paintings hung with small gold plaques underneath describing the title and who had painted it. A few moments Later, Sousuke opened the door to let them inside. "Hi Tokiwa, Chidori. Did you have trouble getting here?"

"N-no, we found it just fine. But can we ask you a question Sagara-kun?" With a small sigh, one hand came up to scratch the back of his head.

"Let me guess; how can I afford to live here when I go to Jindai right?"

"That would be a nice start," replied Kaname.

"Well, you see…the thing is, uh…"

"Oh come one Sousuke, it's not like this changes anything. We're just curious."

"Can you just, please promise not to make this a big deal at school?" Kaname would have pressed more, but as he asked that, his face seemed more solemn than it had ever been. It was a look similar to the first time he had asked her to trust him, deep in the humid jungles of North Korea. Feeling herself fold at the look he now wore, Kaname sighed and brushed the bangs from her face.

"Okay Sousuke, you win, we'll keep it quiet. But seriously, how can you afford to stay here? This place must have cost you a fortune or something."

"Actually it's not that bad. Not for me at least. My Father is one of the three founders of the Mithril Security Corporation."

"Mithril Security?"

"Yeah. The company deals mostly in Physical Security; meaning that they cover things like CCTV systems, security guards, access control, biometrics, and alarms systems. A smaller division within the company covers Information security, and all that means is that they mostly work to secure computer systems from hackers and viruses." Kaname was finding things a bit too odd for a moment. Though significantly different from the Mithril she once knew, not only did they still exist, but they still existed to help people. Even stranger still, was that technically Sousuke was still involved with it as well. She still had to admit though; she'd never get tired of seeing his smoky eyes light up whenever he talked about his home and family. "I'm sorry, I must be boring you two to death with this stuff."

"No really Sagara-kun, it's really cool that you know so much about your Father's business. So are you planning to take it over when he retires?"

"I haven't quite decided that yet. But even if I don't I would still technically be the acting President and CEO of the company itself. So regardless, I would have to attend a few meetings here and there. Anyway, let me show you around before we get started." After removing their shoes near the door, Sousuke took them on a small tour of his condo.

The floor alternated between brightly stained hard wood and deep grey carpeting, in a wave pattern that made certain areas look aesthetically larger than they really were. The walls were painted in a medium shade of grayish-blue, and various movie posters and wall scrolls were nicely placed throughout the condo. Also, due to the loft-style layout of the condo, it had vaulted ceilings that ascended at least another 15-20 feet, with track lighting near the top edges. The living area was lowered and a bright crimson couch faced an 82 inch flat screen television. The TV sat on a brushed metal entertainment center that also housed an Xbox 360, Playstation, and Wii consoles. The middle of the center held the components to a stereo system, which had four speakers in the main area, as well as two in his bedroom. The side panels opened up to house his large collection of action Sci-Fi movies and anime. A three tiered revolving media center was located in the corner, and was nearly filled with games for each console. Where the back wall should have been was a floor-to-ceiling dual polarized, bulletproof window that opened up to a wide balcony with a view of the city. Impossibly long, navy blue curtains hung on each side of the massive windows, and could be closed by remote control.

The kitchen was large enough that two people to comfortably prepare food, while the cabinet material matched the hard wood flooring. Black marble countertops and brushed nickel appliances topped off the nicely decorated kitchen, and a raised counter top on the outside created a bar area, where three red leather bar stools sat. A guest room and separate bathroom was on the other side of the kitchen area, as well as a smaller room for a washer and dryer. Past the wash room was a small den. A darkly painted desk held his computer near the corner, and he had installed shelves on two others to display his BattleTech miniatures and campaign books. On the other side of his computer, he had propped up a brightly colored surf board. The neon oranges, blues, and yellows stood out almost painfully against the dark, rich color scheme of the rest of the house.

Near the wall opposite the kitchen area was a black painted dining table and chairs seated for six people, and placed in the center was a small vase that held false silk bird of paradise flowers. At the other end of the condo, a thin spiral staircase opened up to the loft area that Sousuke had made his bedroom. More dark grey carpet covered the main floor, while hardwood was installed in the adjoining bathroom. A king-sized bed took up the majority of the room, with deep mahogany nightstands and a matching dresser next to the wall across from the bed. Two wall scrolls hung unevenly on the wall behind the bed, while the opposite wall displayed his collection of paintball guns.

While Kyoko had started asking a few questions about living in such a grand place, Kaname slowly made her way over to the dresser to look at the photographs he'd placed on top. Each photo was safely housed in either a silver or polished black frame, and Kaname felt elated at the fact that in almost every single one, Sousuke had a huge smile on his face. She was starting to get used to the warm feeling that would show up whenever she learned about the many happy memories this Sousuke had; once again wishing that it didn't have to be the second life he was attempting to live. _'He should have never had the life that he did,'_ she thought. For a second, Kaname almost forgot the promise to herself, and forced back the feeling of tears behind her eyes. Looking more carefully over the photos, she stopped when she found one of him on the beach. He was with another boy, and they each had gold medals and an arm draped over the other. Both boys stood in front of a pair of crossed surf boards, and it looked that it had been a gorgeous day outside. Hearing him come over, Kaname turned and asked about the photo, the other boy seemed very familiar to her form some reason.

"That was at my fourth Junior High Surfing Competition, that year it was held in Santa Monica. The guy I'm with was my best friend since elementary school. His name was Zaiede; he lived four houses down the block from mine. We joined the surfing club together in junior high, and won three competitions. He moved to Miami halfway through our first year of high school though."

"So you just went your separate ways? You don't keep in touch at all?" _'So that's why he looked so familiar! He was the other boy in the picture from Afghanistan. I guess I can be happy that so far everyone has had a much better life this time around,' _she thought absently.

"No, we still e-mail, but it's not as frequent as we'd like. Last time he wrote he said he got a girlfriend. I think he said her name was Nami or something. Anyway, he's supposed to send me a few pictures once I send him my new address." Scratching the back of his head a moment, she saw him glance just to the left of the dresser. "Hey Chidori, I don't suppose you would remember these from the other night?" He pulled up two 2ft long matching sticks from their propped up position next to the wall. Recognizing them took only a moment or two, until she remembered that when he had beaten up that gang of thugs, he had used the exact same weapons.

"Oh yeah, what exactly was it that you were doing Sousuke? It kind of looked like fencing or something."

"Uh, the other night Kana-chan? What happened?" Kaname blinked when she realized that she hadn't told Kyoko what had happened the week before. Feeling a little more than guilty for not telling her, Kaname had to look away for a second.

"Well, I wanted to go down to the river to watch the sunset for a while. When I was ready to head home though, this ugly gang of punks showed up and tried to hit on me. And let me tell you Ky, these guys had fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down! Anyway, I kicked this one guy in the groin for touching me, but I ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up at a dead end." Briefly looking over in Sousuke's direction, she hoped that he would pick up and explain the rest from there. Thankfully, she wasn't disappointed.

"I was passing by on my way home from the grocery store and heard yelling, so I took one guy down and let the others choose whether or not they wanted to join him."

"So what did they do?"

"They made the wrong choice, Tokiwa. Simple as that."

"Wow, Sagara-kun. That's so cool! So what are those things for anyway?"

"The sticks are called Rattan, and they're used to practice Escrima, or Kali."

"Kali?"

"Yes; it's a Filipino martial art that emphasizes stick and sword fighting techniques with similar movements to fencing. Originally, it was used as way to teach ordinary villagers ways to protect themselves from raiders and foreign invaders. The basic concepts are based around the idea that the best defense is a good offense, and most of it relies on conditioning muscle memory. I've been training since I was five years old, though I still won't be considered a master for another couple years. There was a man who had opened up a dojo back home, and when I saw my sister practicing, I decided I wanted to do it too." Heading back downstairs, the three settled at the dining table to begin working on their history project. Being the natural leader she was Kaname had already done some preliminary work to make sure things would go smoothly.

"Alright, let's get started then. Since we were lucky enough to get the Edo period, we shouldn't have too much trouble finding our resources and providing pictures and paintings from that time. Also, to make things easier on us, I've taken the liberty of designating each of us a certain set of years to cover." Taking out her notebooks and a small note pad, Kaname gave Sousuke and Kyoko a small slip of paper with their parts of the project written on it. "Kyoko, you can take care of 1600-1616, that should let you cover the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and anything else that happened while he was alive. From there, I can cover from when Tokugawa Iemitsu took to power, to the publishing of the Kaitai Shinsho in 1774."

"Sousuke, I've given you the easiest part of this assignment; mostly because your grades in this class are just god-awful." Kaname almost lost her thunder when a quiet chuckle came from him. Feeling more than a little indignant at being laughed at, Kaname tried valiantly to keep her temper down. **Tried** being the keyword. _'I swear, no matter what he always manages to get under my skin!'_ Seemingly out of nowhere, Kaname brought down the halisen to loudly smack over his head.

"Ow. Chidori, that was painful."

"Well maybe you should think about taking your grades more seriously then! As I was saying, I've given you the easiest part of the assignment Sousuke, so only a total moron could mess this up. You're in charge of 1787-1868. That's the ending years of the Tokugawa Shogunate, so there should be more than enough information to go over." Despite the pain of the dreaded halisen, he still sported a small grin.

"Alright Chidori, understood. But can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"If on the off chance I do fail, should I commit seppuku, or would you simply prefer to beat me to death?" Though the sight on the outside was frightening to near hellish proportions, a part of Kaname couldn't help but like the well placed humor. However, before she could dish out any proper punishment, the doorbell rang. Excusing himself, Sousuke left to answer the door; leaving Kaname to stew in her anger. Kyoko had just sat there the whole time with a broad smile on her face, somehow knowing the true feelings churning in her best friend. From where the two girls sat, they could easily hear Sousuke open the door; as well as imagine the glomp he had received once the door had been opened.

"Oh! So how's my favorite baby brother!? It's so sweet, you all grown up now! I feel so old!"

"ACK! Let go sis, seriously!"

"Hey hey, little buddy! How's it hangin'?"

"Did you really have to bring _him_ with you?"

"Hey, we're a package deal Sousuke. That's what you get when your big sis has a boyfriend." From the dining area, Kaname guessed that his sister had finally spotted the other two pairs of shoes near the front door. It would have been outrageous to _not_ notice that they were girls' shoes. "Ooh! Sousuke you dog! I was wondering when you would start bringing girls home! So did we interrupt anything?"

"No way! Sousuke's popped his cherry! This calls for a party! You got some beers right?" Hearing the voices getting louder, Kaname turned to look at the pair that was making their way into the house. Kaname felt her eyes widen, and her jaw drop slightly at the scene playing out in front of her. Once again, ghosts from her past were beginning to surface. "Hello there pretty girls!"


	5. Chapter 5

**I just want to say thank you to all the wonderful reviews I've recieved since I started this fic. Most of all to Crystal Okamino, whose fics I just adore!!!^__^ And thanks to everyone whose still reading, regardless of how different this one is. Trust me when I say that I wouldn't have Sousuke any other way, but I was curious to see how he would be if he had been given the chance for the normal life that we all take for granted. Here's the fourth installment for you! Hope you enjoy!**

**Mika**

**___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 4**

Shock could barley describe the feeling that now coursed through Kaname's veins. The last time she had felt even of fraction of what did now, was the first time she had found Sousuke standing amidst the piles of smoldering metal that had once been a row of shoe lockers. Even then, Kaname was pretty sure that nothing could ever make her feel more astounded than being in Sousuke's apartment, and seeing Kurz Weber saunter over toward them once more with his phony French accent. "Hello there pretty girls! And may I ask what is it that the gods have allowed me to call this lovely pair of angels?"

"Knock it off asshole, you're a one trick pony now, remember?" Melissa had followed Kurz and Sousuke over to where Kaname and Kyoko had been waiting at the dining table, and smacked him upside the head. Kaname was still shocked that both of them still looked exactly the same as they had, and they were seriously dating to boot! _'Well, all things in moderation I guess,'_ she thought as she watched Kurz retreat and drape an arm across Melissa's shoulders.

"Hey calm down Mel, I was only wondering if they might want to join in someti-OW!" Without missing a beat, Melissa had quickly raised her fist to knock him in the face, right in the center of his forehead. "That hurt you know."

"Love hurts Kurzie boy, get used to it. So how's my favorite baby brother doing these days?" Melissa moved back over to Sousuke and proceeded with an attempt at drilling into his brain via the world's most powerful noogie. After a few seconds of struggling, Sousuke had managed to free himself of the headlock.

"I'm your only brother Mel." Sousuke had started to try and fix his hair when Melissa crept up and ruffled it into oblivion. He gave up any further attempts for a while after that.

"Well I guess that makes you my favorite now doesn't it?" she laughed. "Anyway, we only dropped in because I promised Dad that I would check up on you every now and then. You know, to make sure you aren't getting high and banging every hot piece of ass you can get your hands on." She turned to Kaname and Kyoko a moment to wink; making sure Sousuke was unable to see the action. "I suppose that means I got here just in time; really Sousuke, I never would have pegged you to be so daring your first time!"

Kaname couldn't help it anymore and burst out laughing at the sight in front of her. She never thought she would be so happy to see Sousuke flustered and dripping in sweat before. Although a few days ago she would've given anything just to know he was happy, but being able to see it with her own eyes was another matter entirely. Hearing Kaname laughing had made Sousuke blush as well, and gave Kurz the opening he had wanted. "Oh, so you were _thinking_ about it were ya? Sousuke you gigolo! Maybe you should be giving _me_ pointers!" At that, Kyoko and Melissa joined in as well. But how could they help it? His face was making tomatoes jealous! Kyoko's camera was getting quite the workout thanks to everyone's efforts as well. After another short round of light hearted jokes at Sousuke's expense, Melissa finally turned to introduce herself.

"Hi there girls. By now I suppose you guessed that I'm Sousuke's older sister, Melissa."

"Hi Melissa, I'm Chidori Kaname, and that's my best friend Kyoko Tokiwa."

"Nice to meet you Sagara-san."

"Nice to meet you too Chidori, Tokiwa. And that piece of work I brought with me is my boyfriend Kurz. Don't worry though; his bark is _way_ more annoying than his bite."

"They don't have any reason to worry Mel. Besides, there's only one tight little ass I wanna take a bite of. OW! What the-" Sousuke had finally recovered enough from his teasing to punch Kurz in the shoulder. "Sousuke, man what the hell? Whatever happened to bros before hoes? ACK! DUDE!" A punch to the other shoulder had sent Kurz back a few steps. Despite the tone in his voice, there was a smirk on Sousuke's face; giving away that he wasn't as mad as they might have thought.

"Sorry, I thought I saw a bug. Must've been mistaken…" He turned away with a thoughtful look; making it seem as if had seriously thought a bug had been on Kurz's shoulder. "Anyway, you came at kind of a bad time Mel. We were supposed to start working on our history project, and I need to get a good score on it."

"You're having that much trouble? What class is it?"

"Japanese history. It can't be helped though, when we left the states, the last thing they had us learn was World War 2 and the Holocaust. And it's not like a lot of schools back there are all that concerned with the complete history of another country." Taking a breath his attention turned back to his two classmates. "Thankfully, Chidori and Tokiwa have much better grades than I do, so I was paired with them to bring my score up." Melissa went over and held out her hand to Kaname. After a quick shake from both of them, Melissa asked the two girls to keep an eye on him for her. Kaname smiled at her request. Though she was surprised before, she now realized that maybe a few wishes might have been granted when the timeline was reset. Sousuke finally had a family that loved him, Melissa had a good relationship with her parents, and Kurz was finally able to be with Melissa. Still, Kaname would have given anything to have had things work out this well the first time. Every single one of them deserved a chance at the happiness that the TAROS had stolen from them. As they talked, Kaname sent out a silent prayer that everyone else she had once known was now granted with the life they deserved.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Melissa and Kurz had ended up staying for dinner that evening, which gave Kaname and Kyoko the opportunity see 'master chef' Kurz in action. Ironically enough, he had prepared spaghetti, which had Kyoko subtly reminding Kaname of the comment made in the soba shop earlier that day. Kyoko had finished her dinner with a fork poking out of one pigtail. Kurz and Melissa had stayed another hour after that, giving some suggestions how on to present their project. Kurz gave a few suggestions as well, but was disappointed that Kaname and Kyoko had no intension to do the presentation dressed up as geishas. He was even more disappointed that Sousuke had not agreed to film it, should the girls decide to change their minds.

Kaname and Kyoko had stayed only a while after Melissa and Kurz had left, feeling that it was getting late and that they should be getting home and get ready for school in the morning. Making sure Sousuke had what he needed to get some work done before bed; the girls gathered their things and prepared to leave. Kaname now slowly trudged up the stairs of her apartment building with a large blush across her face. How she had managed to hide it from Kyoko in the close confines of the taxi had been a miracle. _'I got lucky,'_ she thought. _'Kyoko and that damn camera never miss a thing. Someone upstairs must like me enough to save me from **that** round of embarrassing questions.'_ Her blush deepened again, as the memory of why it had appeared came back to her at full force.

She had kissed him. As she and Kyoko had walked back down the hallway to the elevators, Kaname had made it look as if she had forgotten something. Asking Kyoko to hold the elevator, she quickly walked back down the hall to his apartment. Apparently Sousuke had been changing, having answered the door in only a pair of cargo shorts and a white tank top. "Chidori? Did you forget something?"

"Actually yes; I did Sousuke." Quickly moving in, she placed a light kiss on his cheek. He had stood there with wide eyes, not uttering a word before the silence had been broken by a quiet 'uh'. "That's for being such a good sport today," she replied softly. Another 'uh' came through as Kaname gave a small wave and turned to head back toward the elevators, saying that she would see him in the morning. Despite the air-conditioning, the elevator had felt unceremoniously hot. Thankfully Kaname had been able to get through small talk without stuttering, or that damning laugh that normally signaled that she was hiding something.

_'How could I have been so bold? I know I promised myself I wouldn't just sit back and wait for things to happen, but…'_ Kaname's resolve wavered before shaking the cowardly thoughts from her mind. Steeling herself, she tried to look at things from another perspective. There had been an opportunity. She had recognized a time when she could make a move. And she had surprised herself by not only following through, but keeping her outer appearance looking calm and collected as the opportunity had been seized. She would simply have to approach things like she would any other challenge life threw at her. With a clear head, and a determined spirit that promised that no matter what the outcome, it would be in her favor.

Not bothering to turn on the lights, Kaname made sure her door was locked and put her bags near the couch. Donning her blue and white striped pj's, she brushed her teeth and made sure her hamster and fish were fed before retreating to her bedroom. Though she could feel the need for rest after the long day, her thoughts kept her from relaxing completely. Images of what tomorrow could bring kept creeping into view of her mind's eye, and left her feeling somewhat uneasy. Knowing what she did about Sousuke, the two 'uhs' that she had been granted with were a good sign. That overly simple phrase had been uttered more times than she cared to count, and they had almost all been when he had been driven into a corner about his feelings. It was only to Kaname's benefit that those times had been in response to his feelings regarding her.

Not able to take lying in the darkened silence, Kaname walked over to the small boom box on her dresser and turned it on. Crawling back under the covers, she was too late to realize that the CD was a mix tape sent to her by Ayame. As Kaname desperately did not want to get back up again until morning, she was eventually lulled to sleep by the random love songs Ayame had thought she would like. Assorted dreams and memories swirled together within her mind, creating much more favorable outcomes than they had originally had. Ayame was a devious little sister. A fact Kaname was more than aware of while awake, but it was one that she would learn once more that night. Permeating into her consciousness, and influencing the images it held within, the lyrics worked to create fantasies that at one point Kaname would have not had the bravery to even conjure. The words working to materialize scenes and feelings that would also have her sporting a full body blush when she remembered it in the morning.

Can you imagine us making love  
The way it would feel the first time that we touch  
Can you think of it the way I dream of it  
I want you to see it like I'm seeing it  
It's a picture of perfection  
The vision of you and I

Your lips upon my lips  
(can you just picture this)  
Your fingertips on my fingertips  
Your skin upon my skin  
Would be the sweetest sin  
That would be the sweetest sin

All night I lie awake  
Cuz' it's too much to take  
Dreaming about the love that we could make  
All day I think of schemes  
To get you next to me  
I want you so bad that I can barley breathe  
It's a sign of my obsession  
That I can't stop thinking 'bout

Your lips upon my lips  
(Can you envision it)  
Temptation I could never resist  
Your skin upon my skin  
Would be the sweetest sin

It would feel so good  
To be so bad  
You don't know how bad  
I want that  
I would do anything  
To feel

Your lips upon my lips  
(can you just picture this)  
Your fingertips on my fingertips.  
Your skin upon my skin  
Would be the sweetest sin

Your lips upon my lips  
(can you envision it)  
Temptation I could never resist  
Your skin upon my skin  
Would be the sweetest sin

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kaname leaned up against the chain link fence that surrounded the school's rooftop area, her chocolate gaze not focused on anything in particular. She had decided to take a few minutes for herself, and just disappear for while. That morning had been, educational, for lack of a better word. She had arrived and followed her usual morning routine, the only difference was that today, Sousuke seemed flustered whenever he had to speak to her. At times it seemed like he had something to say, but then would decide to just stay quiet. It was enough that Kyoko, Ren, and even Maya and Ryo had noticed his lack of verbal communication. Shinji was mostly the listener to Sousuke's BattleTech and paintball stories, so when there weren't any to share, they normally just sat near each other and read sci-fi novels.

Despite his quiet attitude earlier, Kaname had a fairly good idea at what might be bothering him. The night before, he had gone out of his way to make sure she and Kyoko weren't going to make a big deal out of his financial situation to their classmates. Kaname later realized that though she had taken the opportunity to make a move, that maybe it hadn't been the ideal time to do so. _'He's probably debating about whether or not I'm out for his money,'_ she thought. It was a horrible thought, and it hurt Kaname to think that he might consider such things about her, but she had to admit that it was a valid fear. Being the son a multi-millionaire, all good points aside, had to be difficult at times. Having to be constantly on guard against those who might try to take advantage of you would take a toll on anyone after a while. Especially if you were constantly on guard against gold diggers and con-men.

Making a decision to find him and speak her mind, Kaname prepared to head back down into the hallways below. Gathering her things, she heard the sound of someone coming through the access door. "Chidori? What are you doing up here?"

"Oh, hi Sousuke." _'It's now or never girl! Just go for it and hope for the best!' _"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"O-of course. What is it you need to talk about?" _'Great, just what I need. He's nervous as all hell! Sigh Just remember Kaname, courage!'_

"I just wanted to ask you a few questions Sousuke."

"Yes?"

"I know we haven't known each other for very long, but would you say that I'm a hurtful person?" Seeing him stand there as straight as a bean pole reminded her of the many times she had used his saluting reflexes to tease him. The way he now stood looked similar to when he would stand at attention for seemingly no reason. Kaname wanted to smile, but held it back for when the questions had been answered.

"No. You do not seem as though you would enjoy hurting others Chidori. I highly doubt you would be the respected person you are if you liked to hurt people." _'Good answer!'_ She slowly started to move near him. Every few steps she stopped and paused to hear the next answer.

"Would you say that I'm a very greedy person, Sousuke?"

"No more than any other, Chidori" _'Don't worry Sousuke; I don't want your brain to malfunction on me.'_ Now standing right in front of him, Kaname raised her head to see through the storm clouds that resided in his eyes. Caught for a moment in the torrent of emotion she saw within those pewter pools, she focused herself and continued.

"Sousuke, are you worried that I would try to go through you to get to your money?" Noticing that the air somehow now felt thicker, Kaname could swear she also could feel the aura of impending rejection as if it were tangible around him. He looked away for a moment before she heard an unmistakable 'uh'. "It's okay to be honest Sousuke. I promise I won't be mad. It's just a question, okay?" A hand came up swiftly to scratch at the back of his head before bringing it down to rest in his pocket. As the seconds past, it almost seemed like hours before he spoke again.

"I…that is…it's, uh, not something I…want to believe Chidori. It's just…"

"So would that be a yes or no Sousuke?" Kaname stood still as she watched him war with himself to answer the question. Witnessing him at such conflict with himself gave her some hope, as he probably would have come out and said it by now had she been anyone else. Deciding to let her boldness take her a step further, she reached up to touch his check lightly. The simple action brought his focus back, and for a second there was a familiar look of fear and confusion in his eyes. _'It's still so amazing that the same eyes that tried to block out so much, are now as clear as glass,'_ she mused. Long ago those grey eyes had been reflecting the steel walls that he had erected around his heart; the first time she had seen them they had looked almost cold. Now as they stood on the roof in the pleasant afternoon air, his gaze seemed to rival the warmth of the sun. Kaname had been so lost in thought that she almost didn't catch his reply.

"I…don't want to say yes Chidori. But I would be lying if I said that the thought hadn't entered my mind." Satisfied with what little she could bring out of him, Kaname smiled and made sure to look straight at him to answer. She would have to make sure that he understood that money was the farthest thing from her mind when it came to him. _'Hell, I'd live with him in a ruddy old shack under a bridge if it meant I could just be with him again,'_ she thought. Focusing once more, Kaname made sure she gained eye contact before speaking.

"Sousuke, I'm not going to lie to you. It does hurt that you could think that about me…"

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. But I want you to know something alright?" Seeing the brief nod from him, allowed her to continue. "I was already interested before I knew that about you. And, if it's something you want too…I would like to know it. Money doesn't really matter to me, as long as your still you. Okay?" _'Whew! Great job Kaname! And almost no slip ups along the way!'_ Gathering up every ounce of courage she could find, Kaname leaned up to plant a feather light kiss on his lips. Not for the first time since she had found him again, Kaname had to resist the urge to giggle at his surprised reaction. Making sure to lightly glide her fingers across the scars on his jaw as she moved back, Kaname took hold of her school bag and turned toward the roof access door. Turning back once she had opened the door, she finally let loose the smile she'd kept hidden when she realized that he had been watching her every move.

"I can wait for an answer, okay?" A small laugh escaped from her as she watched him nod his head almost dumbly. With a wave she headed down the stairway, letting the echo of her voice remind him that she would see him in class. Feeling amazingly impressed with herself, Kaname treated herself to a candy bar for finally acting on her feelings instead of running away. As she neared the hallway for her classroom, she wondered exactly when he would discover that she had slipped her phone number into his hand.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! I wanted to apologize for taking so long with this chapter. I've had performance reviews at work, and I can't goof-off properly with my boss walking around and watching my every move. So hopefully I will be able to update quicker after another week or so. Thanks again to all of the wonderful reviews, and those of you who read this, despite how out of character a few people may seem. I promise this is NOT a trend in my writing. Just this one. Anyway, hope you all enjoy it!**

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**Chapter 5 **

Summer time was nearing is apex, and Kaname couldn't restrain the excitement she had at this time of year. Summer meant hot beaches, cool ocean breezes, and creating sweet summer memories spent with a certain scruffy young man. Summer could promise all this and more right? Once again Kaname Chidori found herself to be more wrong than the first time around. _'Grrr! Why the hell can't I EVER have a normal summer!!'_ she thought as she re-secured the textured helmet strapped to her head. Once again she had not been paying attention as their group of friends planned a nice weekend outing before the weather became too cool. Now Kaname sat perched up on a tree branch, covered in a ghillie suit, radio transmitter in her ear, covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and paintball rifle in hand; all the time wondering who she should kill first! _'Anyone else would have learned the dangers of letting the otaku's plan a group outing! What the hell is my problem!? I mean, it's SUMMER! I should be at the beach in that white bikini, and enjoying every second I make Sousuke faint!'_

Repositioning her paintball rifle, Kaname halfheartedly scanned the area for anyone with a red arm band. When they had arrived, each of them had been split up into two teams of red and blue. After having the owner go over proper safety with everyone, they were given maps displaying their flag posts and the location of various other bunkers they could use to their advantage. Once in the field, they had been given a ten minute head start in order to position themselves and plan a strategy. After they had all arrived at their flag post and started making up a strategy, Kyoko had asked how they would be able to make any plans if the other team had a map as well. It was then that Melissa explained that they had each received different maps, and with a devious grin, mentioned that they were the only ones with specialized receivers. In other words, Melissa planned to cheat so that her team would gain the upper hand over the boys. _'Sousuke, I swear if this grease paint messes with my complexion, I will skin you alive!!'_ Trying to find a more comfortable sitting position on the branch, Kaname at least had to admit that they had a pretty good team. The Red team had consisted of Ono-D, Sousuke, Shinji, and Ren. On the Blue team was Kyoko, Mizuki, Melissa (who had no classes to attend), and Kaname. Originally, they were going to have boys versus girls, but Kurz had to catch up on one of his assignments. So after some fast talking, Kaname was able to convince Mizuki to tag along. Once both teams had separated to configure a strategy, it was decided that Mizuki would be the lure, Melissa and Kyoko would be the point man and support fire, and Kaname would be the sniper. Originally, Kyoko had wanted to be the sniper; but Kaname had better vision, so Kyoko would be the support fire instead.

If there was anything that Kaname could be happy about, it was that since their talk on the roof, Sousuke seemed to relax again. Though until she got an answer it was pure torture, but Kaname had told him that she would wait for him to decide. Still, their general proximity seemed to be closing when in the same room. Kaname could almost swear that he was gradually moving closer with each day. So far the only proof she had was that on Friday during lunch with everyone, he'd actually bumped into her as they walked. Kaname had never known him to be one of those people who weaved in their walking patterns, so it had to have been deliberate. Although she could chuck it all up to coincidence, but that line of thinking would bring too many uncertainties, and thinking too long on those would only end up weakening her resolve. Before she could think anymore, she heard a light crackling of the radio in her earpiece activating. "Blue Jay this is Nemesis, do you copy, over."

_'Blue Jay? Nemesis? God Melissa, could it **get** any more otaku than this?'_ she thought. Suddenly an old memory of Sousuke and Shinji dragging her and her friends to the Armslave Festival came to the front of her mind. _'I stand corrected. At least we didn't get dragged to some weird anime and mech convention this time!'_ Suddenly this situation didn't seem too bad. "Nemesis this is Blue Jay, I read you, over."

"How are you doing up there Kaname? Over."

"Fine and dandy Melissa! This was really how I wanted to spend my Saturday afternoon; over."

"But Kaname, that make-up looks exquisite on you." Kaname was close to making Pompeii look like nothing more than a small campfire at those words. Not to mention that the only victim would be the girl on the other end of the radio. Hearing a light chuckle from the other end only made her vision start to turn red. Kaname could almost see the leaves near her starting to curl from the imaginary flames. "I'm sorry Kaname; if you want I can give you some juicy gossip to make up for it? Over."

"This had better be good! Over!"

"Okay, okay. Well, if I have my Intel right, I think Sousuke should be asking you out soon. Over." And just like that, the wind had completely left her sails. Her heart skipped a beat as Melissa's words were processed within her racing mind. The very air seemed to be sucked from her lungs, and heir brain was racing with more ideas than she had ever experienced; not including her Whispered trances that is. Before she could start to form a coherent answer she heard her speak again. "Kaname? You still there girl? Over."

"Ah! No, I mean, Yes, I…I-I mean yeah Mel. I'm fine, but are you… are you sure? Over."

"Trust me Kaname. He told me about the talk you guys had at school, and I gotta say I'm impressed. Really, kudos Kaname; I've never seen him flip out over a girl before. Over." Still feeling unbelievably giddy, she could barely contain the feelings in her as she sat there, perched on the thickest branch of the tree. Letting out a small squeak of a laugh, she pressed on the receiver again.

"Really Mel? You're not just messing around again are you? Over."

"No way; I only mess with Kurz's head Kaname. And I'm serious, he's only ever had one girlfriend before, and even then he wasn't really into it. But that was only because they were way too different to begin with."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah, she was smitten from the first time she'd met him, but you could tell his heart just wasn't in it. She took things really hard when he broke up with her; poor girl still hopes that he'll change his mind and ask her back out again, but I wouldn't worry about that." Kaname had to sit a moment to think about the new information she'd been told. On the one hand, she was happy that he had been able to recognize dating for what it was. A momentary image of the two of them having dinner as she reached through the bars of a cage came to mind. _'Yeah well, I'm pretty sure **this** Sousuke knows what flirting is. God knows the beating he'd get would be apocalyptic in scale if he **ever** tried any of those "girl hunting" tactics on me!'_ she thought. Even so, once she would have gotten over the initial urge to kill him, just knowing what exactly it was that he was trying to do would have probably made her very happy. Although, on the other hand, she couldn't help but wonder about the other subject Melissa had mentioned. _'If he's had a girlfriend before, I wonder how far they got before they broke up,'_ she thought. _'Anyway, that's all water under the bridge. He's in my sights now, and if anyone else wants a shot, they'll have to go through me to get it!' _Feeling more relaxed than she had in the last week, Kaname could feel the knots in her shoulders begin to dissipate.

"Thanks for all that Melissa. Even if he wanted to keep it secret, I really needed to hear that right now."

"Sure thing Kaname," she replied. The faint sound of Mizuki's overzealous yelling brought them back to the current situation they were in. Not to mention it was somewhat difficult not to hear Mizuki complaining at the top of her lungs that no boy would be able to find her cute if she was caught wearing the camouflage suit, Kevlar helmet, and utility vest she had strapped to her.

"Remind me how the hell she agreed to come on this trip again?"

"I told her that hot guys liked girls with adventurous attitudes."

"Nice one, I'll be sure to send flowers to your funeral when she figures out the truth." Kaname couldn't help but laugh at that. First was due to the notion that Mizuki could actually do her any physical damage, second was that all it would take for her to be off the hook was for a decently good-looking guy to notice Mizuki before she found out anything. On both accounts, Kaname would get off scot-free, so she wasn't fazed in the least. Feeling better than she had in the last week, Kaname decided to just let things slide, and indulged in a little otaku nature herself. _'As long as it's the right time and place, it should be okay,'_ she though. A broad smile was plastered on her face as she lined up her scope and positioned the rifle; taking a calming breath Kaname touched the earpiece once more.

"This is Blue Jay to all units, enemies approaching from the north. Prepare for ambush; over!" Kaname could feel the anticipation burning within her as they relayed their final messages over the radio.

"Roger that Blue Jay! All right, you girls ready for this?"

"Any time!"

"Any Place!"

"Alright! Time to show these guys what we're made of!" Through her scope, Kaname could see Sousuke and Ono-D leading the chase, with Shinji pulling up behind. With a laugh that could inspire fear in her opponents, Melissa didn't bother to keep quiet as the ambush of girls made their jump on the boys' rebel faction. "Rock and Roll!"

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Smiles were plastered onto just about every female face at the table; the large umbrella overhead swaying in the light afternoon breeze. Melissa's tactics had worked almost flawlessly, and at the moment, Sousuke, Ono-D, and Shinji could almost be confused with walking abstract paintings. All three boys had been focusing on capturing Mizuki and using her as bait, but instead had walked right into a den of lionesses. Wave after wave of multicolored paintballs had come at them faster than they could react, painting them in brilliant Technicolor splotches.

After the initial assault, the girl's team rushed out to celebrate their victory, forgetting that Ren had not yet been located. She had taken up an ideal hiding spot under thick brush, the spot itself resembling a large foxhole. Taking her four shots, she hit each of the other girls, and was deemed the winner. She now sat with the others at the large outdoor table with a cup f tea and a smile that just screamed of her accomplishment. Taking a small sip of her tea, Ren smiled back at her friends and commented, "Well that was quite fun. We really should do this again soon." While all the girls had agreed with Ren, the boys just grunted in acknowledgement. They were still sore at being absolutely decimated in a tactical situation by a bunch of girls, thankfully though, everyone knew they would get over it fairly quickly. They just needed their time to brood, and then they would come around.

After everyone had the chance to clean-up and change back into regular clothes, things seemed to relax a little more. The Paintball field and their activity center had some shared land with the Jindaiji Temple, so the group decided to hang around the area a while longer and grab some snacks at the small food stands that littered the walkways. A few stands had set up games of chance, and after a while, everyone had won a small prize. Ren had a small wind chime with a good luck charm attached, Kyoko and Ono-D had won tiger plushies, Shinji was now the proud owner of a Gundam mask, and Melissa and Kaname had both won a new goldfish. Sousuke had wandered off while they had been cheering on Kyoko and Ono-D, and when they asked where he went, he had mentioned something about seeing a good snack stand. Kaname was quick to notice that Sousuke had no snacks with him, but kept quiet after deciding to see if it would eventually come up.

The sun had been down for at least three hours before everyone decided to call it a night. Being the generous soul that she was, Ren offered to have her driver take everyone else home as well. While Ono-D, Shinji, and Melissa accepted the offer, Kaname and Kyoko just needed a ride to the station. Sousuke decided to follow the two girls, as they lived in the same direction, and make sure they got home alright. After one final round of goodbyes, and the hilarious sight of Sousuke being nearly choked to death by Melissa and her fierce bear hug, they finally split up to go home.

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The ride on the train was quiet and uneventful, as most of the business men and teenagers had already come through for the time being. When it came time for Kyoko to get off, both Kaname and Sousuke offered to walk home with her, but with a devious glint in her eye that only Kaname was able to notice, she said that she would be able to make it on her own from there. Not for the first time since they'd met, Kaname had to admit, Kyoko could be an expert at creating situations of all kinds. Armed with only a friend's expression and a discovered situation, Kyoko would probably be able to guess everything and be able to make more happen with just a question than anyone ever could. The enigma of it all was that she was able to do all of this and more, while retaining that sweet and innocent look on her face. _'Someday she'll have to teach me her secret,'_ she thought. Taking a glance up at the boy standing in front of her, Kaname couldn't help but notice that he looked nervous again. Determined to put a stop to that, she spoke up to break the ice. "Hey, why so quiet Sousuke? Didn't you have fun today?" Kaname had to force herself not to laugh at the slightly panicked look on his face. After briefly making his impression of a fish out of water, he stumbled out an answer.

"Uh, o-of course I did C-Chidori. Although I would have to agree with Ono-D; there will need to be a rematch. Then maybe we can all play with _equal_ equipment." A small giggle escaped her before she could keep it down. He looked like a child when he pouted.

"Oh come on Sousuke, don't get all butt-hurt about it. The guys had all played before, and the only one on our team with any experience was Melissa. We needed the edge."

"You still cheated."

"I never said we didn't," she replied. It was hard to continue when his face completely showed that her last statement had taken away his thunder. "But since we had fun anyway, we'll be more likely to do it again. Isn't that how it works?"

"I guess so. I would try to dispute this further, but something tells me that regardless of my argument, you would probably just win by default."

"Default?"

"Yes. Either I would get tired of being told I was wrong, or you could end it with your halisen. Either way, I lose."

"I'm noticing a pattern with today. Maybe it's good that we're heading home then, wouldn't want you to lose at anything else." Even though the mood had definitely lifted, she could see something was still swimming in those silvered depths. _'If he doesn't say anything about it by the time we get to my building, I'm gonna bring it up. I wonder if it still has anything to do with our talk last week?' _The remainder of the train ride was filled by light chatter regarding their history assignment, which was scheduled to be presented to the class on Wednesday. Kaname had to admit, she was impressed. From the sound of it, Sousuke had done everything she'd told him and more for the project. He'd even found a copy of the Treaty of Kanagawa, and had highlighted sections to draw more from during the presentation.

On the walk toward her apartment building, Kaname noticed he now carried his rattan in his right hand. _'Now just where the heck did those come from?' _she thought. "Um, Sousuke?"

"Yeah?"

"Just where were you hiding those? I didn't even think you had them with you today." Pointing to the twin sticks propped on his shoulder, he shrugged before answering.

"I thought it would be safer this way, especially since there was no guarantee we would be heading home before dark. Don't you have any sort of defense with you?"

"Uh, no. Weapons are kind of frowned upon here Sousuke. You did know that right?"

"Whether or not they are frowned upon, it's always good to have something with you for self defense. Maybe you should look into getting some pepper spray, or a Taser." Kaname froze; unable to stop the flow of horrible memories that now rushed into the forefront of her mind. Images of Yui Lan, Wraith, and Leonard on a wet and rainy rooftop assaulted her. The memory bringing with it a feeling of despair and absolute loneliness, feelings that were only present once she had realized that the young man she loved and trusted the most had been taken from her. Still frozen by the distant thoughts of a world of long ago, Kaname didn't realize that she now had tears streaking down her face in rivers. But just like back then, one thought in particular was able to cut through and bring light back into the dark memory. _'You cannot afford to have mercy in a situation like that; remaining idle in front of your attacker is not a wise decision.'_ And just like that, the memories of her terrible night began to clear, bringing with them the one she had held dearest to her until the end. _'I will definitely come for you Chidori...I love you.'_ Finally able to come out of the crippling nightmare of her mind, Kaname's eye focused once more to find Sousuke looking very worried.

"Chidori, what's wrong? Did I say something I shouldn't have? What happened?" The tears beginning to slow, Kaname just stared back in amazement. The same face that had given everything he had for her, stared back. _'Everything is different now, but, it feels the same as it ever has,'_ she thought. _'He still gets flustered when he's not sure what made me cry. He still protects me, and he's…'_ A fresh wave of tears spilled over again before they finally started to dry. Kaname wasn't sure if she could discern all of the emotions that hung heavily near her heart, but they felt familiar, and she knew exactly why. She'd felt this way many times before, long before she was able to admit anything to him. She'd held these feelings trapped inside her from the moment she realized he was still with her after the hijacking in North Korea. After losing everything to the TAROS, finding the strength to keep going without him, finding him again within a new world not wracked with war, and finding that she still felt exactly as she had when he had walked through that hospital door. _'He may be different now, but I still love him so much,'_ she thought. _'He gave everything he was for me, and even if we failed the first time, I still waited._' "Chidori, I'm sorry okay? What did I do!?"

_'He's still my friend…and he still came back to me.'_ Sniffling and raising a hand to wipe the partially dried tears from her face, Kaname managed to put a smile back on her face. "Sorry for worrying you Sousuke, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Are you sure? You looked like someone who saw the end of the world or something. You're positive I didn't say anything to hurt you? Cause I'm sorry if I did okay?"

"No it's alright Sousuke. You just reminded me of someone special. Someone I held very dear to me, but…" Turning her gaze to the stars, Kaname thanked any gods that were listening, that she was able to keep her promise to him. A final tear made it way down her face before she whipped it away by her jawline.

"Someone special…like your boyfriend or something?" Noticing that he sounded a bit despondent at the thought, she turned back to look him in the eye.

"No, but he wanted to be. I wanted to be with him too, but a while back, he got in an accident." Taking a deep breath, Kaname decided to throw caution to the wind, and tell him about their former life; albeit highly edited of course. She didn't want him to think she was nuts or anything. "He was a soldier, and we were friends for a long time. I loved him very much, but another guy was jealous of him. He tried to take me away from him, but he always came for me. Then, while the other guy was trying to keep him from me again, there was an accident. We never had a chance to be together like we wanted." Kaname took a moment to brush some loose hair from her face before continuing. "Anyway, he would always lecture me on the need to carry self defense weapons too. You just sounded so much like him then, it just brought back some old memories. That's all."

"Sorry."

"It's alright Sousuke, how could you have known? Anyway, would you mind not saying anything to anyone at school? I don't want them to worry about me; especially over something they can't change." J.R.R. Tolkien once claimed in his 1955 essay 'English and Welsh' that the most beautiful words in the English language were 'Cellar Door'. However, in the world that revolved around Kaname Chidori, she would dispute that the most beautiful words in any language could only ever be spoken by the young man in front of her. With a small grin of understanding, and the gleam of softened grey eyes, she was able to hear these words once more.

"It's not a problem."

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The remainder of the walk to Maison K had been very quiet, but emanated with a new feeling of calm. Kaname had gotten a lot off of her shoulders, and even with her regret, she was feeling better than she had in almost a month. Once reaching the apartment grounds, she reached in her purse to get the key for the main entrance. Sousuke had offered a few blocks back to make sure she made it to her door, since it was a simple task for thieves and burglars to pick locks. Once they had exited the elevator and made the short walk to her door, Kaname decided to test her boldness once more. So far she had reaped nothing but good fortune when she took chances with Sousuke, so why not try again? With half a turn from her door, she glanced up into his deep grey eyes. "I-It's still early; did you want a drink before heading home?"

A large blush spread over his face in less than a second, and as solemn as she had been earlier, Kaname had to contain the urge to laugh at the familiar sight of his face frozen in shock and embarrassment. After a moment of silence, he finally found the strength to speak once more. "Uh, t-thank you but, I really s-should get home. Y-You know, to put the finishing touches on our assignment."

"Oh, alright then. So I'll see you on Monday right?" Receiving a few rapid nods of agreement, she stepped through the door and turned to say good night. Before she could though, his hand came up to hold something in front of her face. A small pink cloth pouch with blue and silver ribbon sat quietly in his palm. Looking back at him, she couldn't help but be surprised. "Sousuke? What's this?"

"Uh, it's…well, i-it's a t-thank you."

"A thank you? For what?"

"For telling me what you did, you know, at school. And, for helping me on the assignment. And, well…"

"What?"

"F-For letting me figure things out. For giving me space instead of smothering me until I gave you an answer. Uh…"

"Sousuke?" The blush had come back full force; his collar had also started showing signs of sweat. "Was there something else?" She asked as she took the small package. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, before looking back at her. Briefly, he nodded before a hand rushed to rub the back of his head.

"Y-Yes. It's also an apology."

"An apology? But I told you, you didn't do anything wrong."

"N-no! Not for that; its, uh…it's for this." The next thing she knew, he had pressed a firm kiss to her lips. Her eyes still wide from shock, she felt him start to pull away slowly, until she put a gentle hand on his shoulder to stop him. Her eyes drifted closed to enjoy the moment, and reveling in the feel of his lips on hers. After a few seconds of searing contact, they finally parted, his rattan clacking together when his hand clenched around them. The hand that had been on his shoulder brushed along his jaw as he straightened up once more. The effect of their brief contact left them both with heavily lidded eyes, the moonlight from outside painting his in deep silver. Kaname smiled as he stood back up, still oblivious to the hand that now rested near his collar bone. Deciding to test the new waters he'd dove into, Kaname spoke again.

"So, why would that need an apology Sousuke?" Kaname didn't think she'd ever seen his expression so relaxed before. His eyes still partially lidded, with a lopsided smile and half a shrug, a light chuckle escaped him.

"I don't know." Neither would have been able to tell if they had stood outside her door another few minutes or if it had been hours. Enraptured with the depths of the others gaze, time seemed to stand still for them. But as all good things must come to an end, the distant yowl of a neighborhood cat broke the spell; releasing the two teenagers from their captivity. Shifting his backpack and switching the hand that held his rattan, Sousuke was the first to speak once more. "I, guess I should be getting back now." A light smile came to Kaname's face as she started to bring her hand back from him, until his hand lightly took hold of her wrist. Still letting her hand fall in its descent, she found him eventually grasping her hand.

"Hm, yeah. It is getting late, isn't it?" Glancing down at their hands, a callous thumb ran over the top of hers before letting go completely. Meeting his eyes once more in the dim light, Kaname felt her smile widen a bit. "So, I'll see you Monday morning then?"

A warm smile greeted her from the shadows as he nodded his response. Reaching back up to cup her face with is free hand; he dared one last kiss before turning and walking down the dimly lit hallway. Kaname watched as his form disappeared down the stairs and out of sight before turning to secure her front door. Once inside, she reached up to lightly touch her lips at the recent memory. A warm smile stayed on her face the rest of the evening as she watched one of her favorite Stallone movies and then went to bed. Thankfully, she drifted off to sleep much easier that night. Even while in deep sleep, the smile was still present on her face.


	7. Chapter 7

**I just wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful support so far. All of you have left me such wonderful reviews, and it really helps when I get writer's block. This is just a short l****ist of those I would like to thank:**

**RodentOfUnusualSize, ****Meiween, ****Crystal Okamino, ****Skyless Star, ****and Ningen Demonai**

**Thanks to you and the others who have decided to give my story a chance, I wanted to say a very loud DOMO ARIGATOU!!! Now on with the show...**

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**Chapter 6 **

Kaname's fingers passed over the computer keys as more of her memory was put into the hard drive. After almost two months of constant typing, she almost had everything down. And thanks to recent events with Sousuke, it had made it easier to relive a few of the more trying moments, allowing her to get more work done than usual. She had the urge to touch her lips once more, but with the few people taking lunch in the classroom, she had to resist until she was sure she was alone. Even though the kiss had occurred just over a week ago, whenever they were near each other, it was as if it had happened only moments before. Even though the air had been cleared for them, Sousuke still hadn't asked her out on any dates yet. Still, that was fine with Kaname for now. He'd walked her home after school every day since then, and each time that he said goodbye at her door, somehow he was able to summon the courage to kiss her goodbye. He'd made his choice known to her, and now probably just wanted a little extra time to feel more comfortable with it. Besides, while any other girl that showed interest was kindly shot down, he would always make sure to give her his full attention and was always there when she needed something.

Once Kaname had been made to see that, it made waiting for him even easier, not to mention it also made a lot more sense. _'He probably just wants to ease into things,'_ she thought. _'Spend some extra time around me to make sure it feels right.' _Kaname paused in her typing to glance down at her pencil. Since that night, she'd kept the ribbons that had been tied around the pouch, and made a bow on top of her pencil. It had multiple benefits anyway. First, it looked really cute; second, it showed that she opened the gift he'd given her; and third was that it marked that they had a secret. Not even Kyoko could figure out why she had tied ribbons around the top of her pencil, but she was close in her reasoning that it had something to do with Sousuke. A short glance to her book bag let her catch sight of the blue dolphin keychain that had been inside the small pouch he'd given her. _'Just like the one I gave him,'_ she thought before turning back to her work.

It was about halfway through lunch now, and earlier she had seen Sousuke go out with Shinji, Ono-D and a few other boys to play with a hacky sack. Kyoko had offered to run and get them some soda, so for now Kaname found herself completely undisturbed in her mission. So engrossed in the fierce Armslave battle that now flowed from her fingertips, she didn't hear the rushed footsteps until they were right outside the door. Turning to find out what was happening, Kaname saw the aforementioned group of boys rush wildly into the class room, Sousuke who had been at the back, slammed the classroom door behind them and rushed to take his seat. Still staring at the boys with wide eyes and a sense that they were definitely hiding something, she turned to see the biggest grin on Sousuke's face. "Um, …Sousuke?"

"Yes Chidori?" _'I don't think I've ever seen him look so unbelievably guilty about anything before. Gods in heaven, what the hell happened while my back was turned?!' _

"What exactly is going on here?"

"Oh nothing. By the way, all of the guys and me, we just went to play hacky sack and then came straight back here okay?"

"Uh, okay…call me crazy but that sounds to me like you're trying to put together an alibi. You're not in trouble are you?" Fixing him with a scrutinizing glare, she was surprised that he kept his cool under the mental pressure she now placed on him.

"Trouble? No way. Besides, you're only in trouble if you get caught…" He probably would have said more, but the shrill sound of the school intercom would have rendered it all as useless background noise.

"SAGARA SOUSUKE FROM CLASS 2-4!!! REPORT TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY!!!!!" A swift hand made its way to the back of his head as he took a deep breath before looking back at her. Kaname sat with arms crossed, and using a look that had always inspired the full story from everyone; she focused squarely on his face. A nervous laugh escaped him before he brought his hand back down to rest on his desk.

"I'm in trouble."

"What on earth gave you that idea?"

"Okay, uh… well first you should know that it was all in the pursuit of justice within school grounds. So it's not a problem." To Kaname's sheer enjoyment, she could just make out a light sheen of sweat as he attempted to fast talk her into believing his story. Not one to mince words, Kaname went straight for the kill.

"Not buying it! Now out with it Sousuke, just what did you do?"

"Shouldn't I be getting to the Principal's office?"

"Don't try changing the subject you jerk! What in hell did you do?!" Growing impatient, she took hold of both sides of his desk and did her best to smother a growl before it got too loud. The wood near her fingers was beginning to splinter with the sheer force of her grip. Apparently his resolve was weakening, as his face was now covered in sweat, and due to their proximity, a faint blush now graced his cheeks.

"B-But I told you it's not a problem."

"STOP SAYING THAT!!!" Her patience finally running low, she quickly turned to close her laptop. Standing up, she grabbed him by the collar and started to drag him down to the Principal's office. Not bothering to acknowledge the strange looks they were getting, Kaname marched onward, her hand still gripped tightly around his uniform collar. When they had first left the classroom, he had been only halfheartedly struggling. Now as they made their way to the door for the office, she noticed he must have given up. After speaking with the secretary, they were told to just go right in.

Ever the face of tranquility within Jindai's halls, Principal Tsuboi sat with a calm smile on her face, hands folded neatly in front of her on her desk. The office itself was lightly decorated with her diplomas and degrees, only a few sparse family photos rested neatly on her desk in front of her. Beside her stood the stoic and diplomatic face of Hayashimizu-sempai, on hand holding his open fan with the word 'democracy' emblazoned across the front. The only thing out of place was the angry faces of the school nurse and the ever-angered Kogure-sensei. "You little punk! We should expel you for what you did!"

"I agree with Kogure-sensei," replied the nurse. "Your actions were uncalled for young man!" A light cough from behind the two irate teachers shushed any further insults for the moment. Setting her hands back down on her desk, Principal Tsuboi lifted her face to gaze back at the two students in her office.

"Sagara-san, before we decide a proper punishment, would you care to explain the reasoning behind your actions? Of course we would also like to know how you came to take such drastic action in the first place." Even through her gentle features, her eyes showed that unless Sousuke could come up with a decent excuse, he would be out on his ass faster than it took Kogure-sensei to get angry.

"Yes ma'am." Glancing back at Kaname, he gently removed her hand from his collar and straightened it before continuing. "Principal, my actions today were spurned by the need to enforce justice within Jindai's grounds."

"I see, please continue Sagara-san."

"I was in the quad with a few of my classmates earlier playing a game of hacky sack when we noticed that the larger members of the soccer team were once again picking on the chess team. Shinji had explained to me sometime last week that though they had spoken to Kogure-sensei, nothing had yet been done to curb their actions. Seeing this happen once again, inspired me to take the situation into my own hands." Principal Tsuboi gave the coach a hardened look before nodding and allowing Sousuke to continue. "After some quick thinking, I snuck into the Janitor's office and commandeered his bottle of liquid heat. Once I had successfully made it into the locker room, I took all of the jock straps from their lockers and made sure they were soaked with the chemical."

"Liquid Heat? Explain Sagara-san."

"Ma'am. Liquid heat has been used to ensure working machinery remains functional during the freezing winter temperatures. It primarily works to prevent icy build-up, and will cause some damage to the skin." Closing his fan, Hayashimizu decided to inquire a few things as well.

"Sagara, may I ask why you thought that this would be a suitable punishment for them?"

"Sir, I wish I could take credit for such planning; however, the situation was similar to one that I had witnessed in an older American film, and thought that it would be appropriate."

"An American film Sagara? May I ask which one?"

"Yes sir, it was called 'Revenge of the Nerds'. A similar prank had been played on the jock fraternity when they had decided to destroy the nerds newly remodeled frat house. Seeing identical happenings within the school must have sparked my memory, allowing me to utilize the same methods to teach the jocks that discrimination will not be tolerated at Jindai." Both the Principal and Hayashimizu looked to be contemplating the whole story before finding a suitable punishment. Kogure-sensei and the nurse looked absolutely livid, and if left up to them, they probably would have reinstated some good old fashioned torture for his actions.

Through this whole occurrence, Kaname stood in complete shock and awe. _'This feels more like a court room than a principal's office,' _she thought. An image of the principal dressed as a judge with the nurse and Kogure-sensei as a pair of gargoyles on her desk popped into her mind. Kaname had to force herself to push away the image before she laughed and brought attention back to her. A few moments later, Principal Tsuboi told them that she and Sousuke may wait outside her office while they discussed the proper actions to take. Once outside, Kaname let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Really Sousuke, what were you thinking? That was a little harsh for just picking on some nerds."

"Chidori, if we take that line of reasoning, then it becomes too broad a subject."

"Okay, translate that into normal speak Sousuke."

"Thinking in terms of 'they're just nerds' leaves everyone open for discriminatory actions. Typically, a nerd is anyone who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests rather than engaging in more social or popular activities."

"So?"

"To put it plainly Chidori, we are all nerds in one or more fashions. I'm a nerd for my love of BattleTech, Shinji and Kyoko have their photography, Ren has her tea ceremonies, and you have your cooking. Some of these are more accepted forms of enjoyment than others, resulting in the categorization of nerds."

"I'm not a nerd for liking to cook Sousuke!" Kaname was starting to feel a bit annoyed at the prospect. She had never felt like a nerd before, and she certainly didn't intend to start now. But at the same time, she could see where he was coming from.

"I don't think that either Chidori; but others might. If they were to start picking on you for that, I would have to stop them as well." Kaname couldn't stop the blush that came to her face at that. Unconsciously she started fiddling with the side hem of her skirt, her voice dropping slightly with her next question.

"Y-You really would Sousuke?" A brief smile came through before he bent slightly for a quick kiss. Her blush deepened after the brief contact, not realizing until after the fact, that he had also brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.

"As long as it's within my power Chidori, I'll make sure nothing ever hurts you." Kaname couldn't stop the fierce beating of her heart, and could swear that everyone in the office could hear it as well. Losing herself in his smoky irises, Kaname whispered a thank you. Chancing one last kiss in the corner of the office, she took a few steps back from him when the Principal's door slid open again. With a swift move of his fan, Hayashimizu waved them back in for the final judgment. Placing her folded hands in front of her once more the principal kept her voice calm and with an air of authority.

"Sagara-san, first I would like to point out that by no means do we approve of your actions. The personal injuries sustained by the soccer team far outweigh their crimes. Am I clear?"

"Ma'am."

"That being said, responsibility also weighs on the shoulders of Kogure-sensei-"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Kogure-sensei, if you wish to remain employed here at Jindai High School, I suggest you refrain from such outbursts in the future." At that second, Kaname could swear she saw just about every vein in Kogure-sensei's head throb with tension. 'If this was an anime, he'd have steam coming out his ears!' "As I was saying, Kogure-sensei is also responsible due to his failure in addressing the situation before things got out of hand. We teachers must remember to act as guides while at school, and make sure that we all can find common ground with which to coexist peaceably. Therefore, in an agreement made between myself and Hayashimizu-san, we have decided that you will have detention for the next three days."

"Yes ma'am. However I would like to make it known right now, that while I accept both your reasoning and punishment, I am not sorry for what I did."

"WHAT!? Now you listen here you little-"

"KOGURE! Must I take drastic action and send you on a mandatory leave of absence, or are you going to stop attempting to harass Sagara-san?" It seemed that by then, Kogure-sensei had taken all he could. Loudly storming through the door, Kaname could hear him half yelling his partially formed complaints of disobedient young people, and how back in his day blah, blah, blah. The nurse followed quietly after that, sparing a scowl that would normally have curdled milk. "Sagara-san, as long as you follow through with your punishment, beginning with this afternoon, I believe that we can put this whole event behind us. Hayashimizu-san, did you have anything to add?"

"Indeed I do Madam Principal, however it is nothing that you need to concern yourself with at the moment. If you prefer, we may finish our discussion in the Student Council room."

"That will be fine Hayashimizu-san; it seems I will need to begin the process of finding the appropriate paperwork for Kogure-sensei to attend some anger-management seminars. You are all free to leave now; Sagara-san, your detention will be served by Kagurazaka-sensei, and will begin this afternoon. And in response to you previous statement, I would like you to know that while I am not pleased by an outright display of such disrespect, I would never ask you to feel the need to apologize for your actions. If handled correctly, these events would never have had to occur to begin with, and in that respect, I agree with you completely."

"Understood Ma'am. I sincerely hope to never again feel the need to take such drastic measures within the school."

"Very good Sagara-san. You may all go now." Kaname followed Sousuke and Hayashimizu-senpai as they retreated to the student council room, all the while consumed with her own sense of irony. _ 'Never hopes to take drastic measure in the school he says,' _she thought sarcastically. Memories of finding smoldering lockers, random bullet holes, and "new" entryways still with a few traces of the plastic explosive he'd used came rushing to mind. _'Oh Sousuke, if you only new…'_

______________________________________________________________________________

After arriving in the student council room, Hayashimizu took his seat behind his desk, ready to address the discussion he intended to have with the two students. "Sagara, I wish to first let you know that I am well informed on you and your background." Kaname noticed that he seemed to flinch slightly at the statement. Sousuke seemed tense, reminiscent of the way he appeared when he had asked Kaname and Kyoko to keep his financial life on a low key. Glancing over to him, Kaname decided to offer what little support she could and lightly took his hand. He seemed surprised for a moment, but calmed down after seeing the kind look she gave him. "You don't have any reason to worry Sagara, I have no intention of attempting to exploit you or your family."

"Thank you, Sir."

"However, it is because of your background that I wish to make you an offer. With the knowledge you have of security measures and what your family does, would you be interested in taking a newly formed position on the student council?"

"A new position Sir?"

"Yes; even though the actions taken today were a bit too harsh for the crime committed, I would like to offer you the position of Head of Security on the student council. What this position would entail is that you would be putting your family's knowledge of security and countermeasures to use for the safety of the student body." With a flick of the wrist his fan opened to reveal the word 'safety'. Kaname had to admit that she saw this event coming since she found out about Sousuke's family business. Before the TAROS had reset everything, Sousuke had proudly held the very same position; and she had to admit that besides the walking disaster that he himself was, Sousuke was very good at his job. After Hayashimizu-senpai had given him the position in the student council, people had started looking at him a little differently than they had before. Maybe with a little respect even. Taking a second to look over at him, Kaname could see him contemplating the offer. "Just keep in mind Sagara that relations between you and I will not be influenced by your decision. If you like, you may take a few days to consider my offer."

"I would appreciate that for now Sir. May I give you an answer by the end of my detention period?"

"Of course Sagara. Three days will be fine; Chidori-san and I have a student council meeting on Friday, and if you like, you may sit in and observe. Would you have a problem with that Chidori-san?"

"N-No, that would be fine sempai. Besides, it would give Sousuke a chance to see how things work and what plans we make for the school year." Making sure she had a reassuring smile on her face, she turned to see him looking a little less hesitant than before. Once being released to walk back to class, Kaname let out the breath she wasn't aware that she held.

"Something wrong Chidori? You're looking a little pale. Are you feeling sick at all?" Kaname could feel her heart warming at the concern he always showed her. Noticing that he had continued to hold her hand after her bold move in the student council office, she gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm alright Sousuke, just a little tired. I could really use a nap after the heart-attack you just put me through." Giggling at the look that came across his face, she let go of his hand to ruffle his hair a bit. "Oh, don't go getting your undies in a twist. Things were just a little more exciting than usual today, and it wore me out. Okay?" A smile managed to come through while he attempted to fix his hair without making it look like he was fixing it.

__________________________________________________________________________________

When they managed to make it back to class, Kyoko was asked to make sure they understood the assignment. When the last bell for the day finally rang, everyone seemed to rush out at once, leaving a few hapless students crumpled on the floor from the raging stampede. Kaname was making sure all of her books and study materials were packed in her book bag when Sousuke made his way in front of her desk. "What's up Sousuke?" He looked nervous again, but Kaname was unable to be sure if it was over something he wanted to say to her, or if he was simply unsure of what form of detention he'd receive. _'He'll probably just have to clean a few of the classrooms, not a big deal really,'_ she thought.

"W-Well Chidori, I was w-wondering, uh, w-would you maybe…um…"

"Would I what?"

"W-Would you be interested in attending a double-date with my sister and Kurz? You see, t-they made reservations at a restaurant, and the other couple isn't able to go…so, they asked me if, uh…well…" his voice trailed off as he looked at the surprise on Kaname's face. She hadn't thought he would ask today, but was too excited to bother caring about anything other than one glaring fact.

Sousuke had finally asked her on a date.

Kaname had to remember how to speak after her brain finished processing the new information it had just received. She had to act quickly too, Sousuke was forming a nice sheen of sweat on his forehead; accenting his blush and making his face resemble a recently washed tomato. Clearing her voice, Kaname finally spoke. "I-I'd love to go with you Sousuke. When and where is it going to be?" Kaname had to keep her voice level, he was already nervous enough, if he thought she was just as nervous, it could only lead to an embarrassing stammering contest that could last forever.

"Kurz made reservations at Hinokizaka at the Ritz-Carlton in Roppongi. I think he said they were for four at 7:00, but I can double check and call you." Kaname's brain was going into overload. _'That's one of the best restaurants in Tokyo! Some of their dinners are even only by request! Oh-my-god, what the HELL am I going to wear!!!' _Not realizing she hadn't spoken in a few minutes and had a somewhat vacant look on her face, a hand waved in front of her view and brought her back out of her mental race. "Chidori? A-Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes! I-I'm sorry, eh, I just spaced for a second."

"Would you prefer not to go?"

"EH?! No! I mean, yes! I-I mean, uh, I just was wondering why Kurz would make a reservation at a restaurant in a hotel instead of a freestanding one. That's all." _'Great cover Kaname; keep working that silver tongue of yours. Maybe someday you can talk your Father into that pony you always wanted too.'_ With a silent sigh, Kaname couldn't help but wonder when her subconscious had started acting sarcastic toward her. Sousuke was going to say more, but Kagurazaka-sensei had returned to the classroom and wanted him to start his detention by cleaning erasers. "Maybe we should finish this talk later. You can call me when you get home if you want, would that be easier Sousuke?"

Looking at least a little more hopeful than he had been when the conversation started, he nodded before turning to walk to the front of the room. Halfway there, he paused in step and quickly turned to plant a firm and fast kiss on her lips. Both heavily blushing, they could hear the shocked squeaks from the teacher's podium where Kagurazaka-sensei stood with a rigid pointing finger. The teacher could have turned to stone right then, and neither of the two distracted teens would have noticed. "Since I can't walk you home, will one for the road work instead?" The blush on Kaname's cheeks spread slightly at the thought of voicing the words that came to her mind. _'Come one Kaname! Be brave, and don't let anything stand in your way!' _her mind screamed at her. Putting on a look that seemed almost sensual in nature, she twisted her frame so she could bring up her shoulder as she quietly spoke.

"I guess. But, maybe…two for good luck?" Both smiled as what she had said sunk in. Kaname had taken yet another step, and from the way that second kiss felt, she knew it had been one hell of a good step forward.


	8. Chapter 8

**Once again I'd like to thank everyone who've given me reviews, whether they be good or bad. This one took me a while, as I'm still having some difficulty hiding things at work at the moment. Not to mention the KILLER writer's block that always seems to show up right when you're on a roll! Anyway, I'll try to get the next one out as soon as I can. Hope you all enjoy it!**

**___________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 7**

Twirling once more in front of the full length mirror, Kaname took another look at the dress Kyoko had found in the corner of the dress shop. She'd tried on maybe twenty others by now, ranging in a veritable spectrum of colors and lengths, and somehow she felt that they just didn't look just right. The dress she wore at the moment was an off-white satin, spaghetti strap dress that flared out just past her hips. As the dress flowed down toward her calves, the white faded into a deep pink at the bottom hem. Turning this way and that, Kaname eyed the dress critically while Kyoko sat in a nearby plush armchair. "Hmm, I'm not…sure this is the one Ky," Kaname said in a careful tone. She'd already decided that she had to find THE perfect dress for her date with Sousuke. Nothing over the top, but something that would make her stand out more than the other girls.

"Kaname, we've looked at practically every dress in the store. You look great in all of them, couldn't you just pick one? I mean if Sousuke really likes you, wouldn't he find you just as pretty in any of these other dresses?" Kaname pouted for a moment before twirling once more in front of the mirrors, fanning out the dress.

"This has to be perfect Ky, it's going to be our first real date. I can't just look like I normally would, it has to be special. Besides, I don't have anything that would look good for a dinner at Hinokizaka." Turning to walk back into the dressing room, Kaname asked Kyoko to find on in some kind of blue color for her to try this time. With a tired sigh, Kyoko ventured back into the clothing wracks to try and find something for her friend. While she skimmed through a rack of the far wall, one of the clerks came over and offered some help to the distressed looking girl.

"Actually, I would love some help if you could. My best friend is in the changing room trying to find a dress for a really important first date, but she can't seem to find one she likes."

"Was she that pretty young lady with the long, blue hair?"

"Yes, she is."

"Come over here a moment, I think we may have just the thing she's looking for." The clerk led Kyoko over to the counter before asking her to wait a minute while she looked in the back room. A few moments later the clerk reappeared with the dress in hand, and Kyoko couldn't help but stare at the beautiful gown that had been hiding in the storage room. Thanking the clerk, Kyoko quickly took it over to the dressing rooms and placed the hanger into Kaname's outstretched hand. Sitting back down in the armchair near the mirrors, Kyoko waited patiently for Kaname to come back out. A few minutes later, she heard the curtain being pulled back and turned to look at her friend.

Kaname now stood in a mandarin halter-style dress made of sapphire blue silk, the long length ending at just above her ankles. Two slits on either side of the dress went up and stopped at mid thigh with small oriental bows. The collar clasped behind her neck, exposing her entire back until closing once more at the natural curve of her tailbone. A large embroidered blue sakura blossom and branch design decorated the front, reaching from her calves to just below her hips. As Kaname moved over to the mirrors to get a good look at herself in the light, the deep blue of the dress caught and reflected in brilliant shades, ranging from almost black to electric. Kyoko held her breath while Kaname twirled and posed in front of the mirrors, finally letting it out when she saw the huge smile on her friend's face. "Oh Kyoko, it's absolutely perfect! How did you find it?"

"You look so pretty Kana-chan! I just got lucky; the clerk had it back in the storage room. I bet Sousuke won't be able to keep his hands off you," Kyoko replied with a sly grin. A light blush came to Kaname's face before turning and heading back to the dressing room.

"He'd better keep his hands to himself if he knows what's good for him!" But as Kaname slid the dressing room curtain closed, she whispered to herself, "Unless it's the right moment. Then he can try if he wants." Kaname considered herself quite lucky, the clerk that had helped them also mentioned that the shoe store next door was having a sale, and the two stores tended to carry items that would match so they could double their clientele. Kaname was able to find a matching pair of Chinese slippers and a small hand purse that had a similar design embroidered in the corner. Since they had found what they came for, the two girls made their way to the mall food court to look for some lunch. Once they had their food and found a table, Kaname noticed that Kyoko had that look in her eye again. The one that promised that no matter what you said, she could read between the lines to see what you were really saying. A chill went up Kaname's back at that look; she would have to make sure she didn't say anything damning.

"So Kana, where are you guys going to have dinner again?"

"He said Kurz and Melissa had reservations at Hinokizaka at the Ritz-Carton in Roppongi."

"Really? That's a pretty fancy place Kana-chan. So have you decided whether or not you'll kiss him goodnight yet?" Kaname had to stop herself from spitting out her fried rice. Taking a sip of her soda, Kaname remembered that she still hadn't told Kyoko that the prospect of a first kiss with Sousuke was no longer an issue. Although, she wondered if she should tell her, if only to have someone to talk to.

"Kyoko, if I tell you something, do you promise on pain of death not to tell another living soul until I tell you otherwise?" Getting that devilish look in her eyes again, Kyoko nodded for her to continue. "Okay then. I won't have to worry about that Ky, because he's already kissed me."

"Really Kaname? When? Was it just once? How was it? Come on tell me!"

"Alright, alright, calm down Kyoko. Do you remember that day we all went to play paintball? Well, after you got off the train, we talked while he walked me home. When we got there and I was about to tell him goodnight, he gave me a little present."

"A present? But while we were out that day he didn't buy anything…"

"He disappeared for a while remember? He said he saw a good snack stand when he got back."

"So those ribbons on you pencil at school?"

"Yep, they were from the present he gave me."

"That's so cool Kana-chan! So he was actually getting you a present? Did he say what for?" Kaname blushed as she remembered how flustered he looked that night. The memory of that night momentarily distracting her until Kyoko managed to bring her focus back. "Thinking of someone Kana? A certain boy perhaps?"

"Can't fool you for long can I Ky? Anyway, he said it was supposed to be a thank you for not making a big deal about his family's money at school. He also said it was an apology."

"Apology?"

"Yeah, I asked him about that too, and that's when he kissed me." The slight blush that hung to her cheeks grew darker at the memory. Her mind even conjuring the light feeling of the last kiss she had received from him in the back of the classroom. "So yeah, I won't have to worry about whether or not he does afterward. He's also kissed me every night he walks me home too."

"Wow Kaname, that's so romantic! Hard to believe we're talking about the same guy who collects BattleTech Mechs huh?" At that reminder the two girls laughed. Other little jokes were passed back and forth while they ate. Kyoko even said that she hoped he didn't bring one with him in his pocket to play with while he was bored. Kyoko then had yet another impromptu edible hair decoration. The girls walked through the mall a while longer before heading home. Kaname had to make sure to have things ready for her date the following night, and everything had to be perfect. Kaname Chidori had always been one who lived life to the fullest, and this date was to be no exception.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Kaname was putting the finishing touches on her make-up when she heard a knock at the door. She had spent almost the entirety of the previous night deciding which make-up combination and what jewelry she should wear with her new dress. Finally she decided on deep blue eye shadow, done with just a touch of black to make it appear smoky, with pale pink lipstick that wouldn't take away from all the blue she wore. She was also able to find some thin, silver bangle bracelets in her jewelry box, and a pair of her mother's silver dangle earrings. Though she had to clean the earrings before wearing them, Kaname had to admit that her mother really did have wonderful taste in jewelry. Hanging from the small silver stud was three thin chains dangling about a half an inch before ending in small silver stars. She had also brushed her hair until it was silky smooth before making a messy bun with a small portion, and leaving the rest to hang free. Getting up from the couch, she straightened her dress one last time before opening the door. "Hello?"

"Chidori-sama?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Good evening miss, my name is Takanaka; I've been instructed to drive you to your date with Sagara-sama at the Ritz-Carlton tonight. Are you ready?"

"Yes, just let me grab my keys and purse."

"Of course miss, shall I meet you down at the car?"

"Yes, that's fine. I'll be right behind you." Making sure she had everything in the small purse, Kaname double checked the locks before heading downstairs with the driver. Once at the bottom of the stairs, Kaname almost lost her footing when she spotted the black limousine in front of her apartment complex. Her mouth agape for a few moments as Takanaka-san opened the door for her. She stuttered momentarily before reminding herself that, to Sousuke's family, stuff like this was a drop in the bucket for them. They might not do it very often, but by her standards, this was downright extraordinary. Finally coming out of her stupor, Kaname managed to climb into the impressive limo. Once on the freeway, Kaname started to really look at the interior. All the seats were covered in black leather, and at the far end there was a small television and mini travel bar. Small strings of lights lined the floor, and a large sunroof was situated in the middle of the ceiling. Because of her Father's position in America, she had ridden in a limousine only a handful of times. Even in the states, limousines were pretty costly, and one didn't ride in them for just any occasion. Once the car pulled into the hotel entry, Takanaka came around and opened the door once more, and helped her out. "Thank you for the ride Takanaka-san."

"Not at all Chidori-sama. Sagara-sama should be waiting for you in the lobby, have a nice evening."

"Thank you," she replied before turning, and taking the grand entrance of the hotel. Light colored marble covered the entryway, with long windows on either side, displaying the luxurious interior. Two doormen stood on either side of large glass doors and smiled as they held them open for her. Dark tables and Plush armchairs were littered throughout the lobby area. The shining tile floors were set in a tatami like design and the far wall had large stone tiles with two thin, blue-light waterfall fountains built into the wall. Modern-elegant table lamps were situated on all the tables, and light instrumental music seem to float through the air. Various pieces of modern art were on display, either on the walls or on some of the tables, and the deep wood paneling made the color scheme very warm and inviting. Kaname was turning in an attempt to take in all of the beautiful decorations, when she heard her name. Kyoko had confessed to her long ago about when she and Sousuke had tailed her while on a date with Fuwa-senpai, but Kaname never thought she would ever see Sousuke looking as absolutely drool-worthy as he did right now. His shirt was a deep crimson, almost the color of blood, and a black coat and pants set. A black satin tie hung from his neck, and Kaname swore she could feel herself melting from the inside. At the same time, with his scar, she could almost picture him with a fedora, looking like some up-and-coming Yakuza from the movies. Her brain reminding her to breathe, he finally made it over to her, a slight breeze letting her catch the musky scent of his aftershave.

"Chidori, I'm glad you came. You look amazing." She blushed at the comment; tinting further when he surprised her with a red rose he'd kept hidden behind him.

"Thank you Sousuke, I never thought you could pull off anything like this." A small grin appeared on his face at that, and Kaname could feel a very otaku moment coming on.

"Don't be fooled Chidori, I haven't changed at all, only my clothes have."

"So you'll still bore me to death with BattleTech strategies, and various techniques to find an opposing force's weakness?"

"Well, I _was_ going to ask you how your day was, but if you'd prefer I can always explain the vast history that takes place in the BattleTech universe. You see, BattleTech's fictional history takes place approximately 1,150 years from the end of the 20th century to the middle of the 32nd. Most works in the series are set during the early to middle decades of - WHACK! That still hurts Chidori."

"Suck it up Lieutenant, none of that stuff tonight okay?" Managing to stand back up, a light chuckle came from him before he conceded and agreed to not bring up any otaku subject as best he could. Then, as quickly as it had come, the cursed halisen disappeared and waited patiently for when it would need to be used once more. "Alright, so where are Melissa and Kurz anyway? Didn't you say they were coming too?"

"I've already asked the sommelier, he said they had already been seated when I got here, so I thought I would wait for you." Taking his arm, they walked back over to the restaurant entrance. The sommelier recognized Sousuke from his earlier inquiry, and waved over a waitress to take them to their table. Far too often already, Kaname was again marveling at the beauty of the place. As wonderful as the lobby had been, the restaurant was designed in more traditional Japanese décor. Dark cherry wood and shoji panels lined the walls and small paper lanterns sat on small side tables. Black carpet and place settings added to the intimate atmosphere, while bamboo accents appeared everywhere from the table settings, to sections of the wall decorations. The waitress led them down one of the far hallways and asked them to wait a moment while their presence was announced. Kaname must have had a questioning look on her face, as Sousuke spoke in a hushed tone and explained. "Some places still do this so that the meal isn't interrupted rudely. Apparently Kurz reserved a private room for tonight, so it's not a problem." After a moment, the waitress nodded them over and moved to the side so they could enter the room. Kaname recognized Melissa and Kurz right away, but then saw a woman she hadn't yet met. _'She couldn't be one of their friends could she? I mean, people of all ages go to college, but she doesn't seem like **she** would be,'_ she thought as she took in the sight of the other woman.

She had long dark hair and wore a sensible skirt-suit in an eggplant purple color with black trim. A simple gold necklace and earrings were the only jewelry Kaname was able to see, as when she had come in, the woman had been taking a sip from a wine glass. Kaname could tell just by the air around her, that this other woman was one of pure sophistication, but had a mixture of one that was also very diplomatic in her day to day life. She also was especially beautiful, considering she had to at least be in her early to mid forties. As Melissa stood to come over and greet the two, Kaname was able to hear a panicked stuttering from her date. Glancing at his face, his cool composure had definitely been shaken, as she was able to see a near crimson blush on his face and sweat beginning to gather at his shirt collar. The unknown woman finished her sip of the wine and set down the glass to look their direction, and as soon as Kaname saw a good look at her face, it all came together.

She had been looking into those same grey irises not a few seconds before they had entered the room.

That same instant, she heard Sousuke finally speak again. "Mom!? W-What a-are you, I mean…uh…" It was then that Kaname was able to see the devious looks on the faces of both Kurz and Melissa. _'They are SO dead once this is over! A first date is tough enough, but to include his mother!? Sousuke, I'll not only help you kill them **both** later, but I'll be more than willing to help hide their fucking bodies as well!!!'_ Being careful to not display her murderous intent to everyone in the room, Kaname squared her shoulders and walked over to stand beside Sousuke's mother. Once they made eye contact, Kaname put on her best smile and took a deep bow.

"Please forgive us for being late Sagara-sama; it's an honor to meet you. My name is Chidori Kaname, and I am your son's date for this evening." The room fell silent as they waited for the older woman to answer. Kaname kept holding her bow, waiting for a response before she would raise her head once more. Melissa was still at the entrance trying to snap Sousuke out of his funk, though at the moment he looked like he could fall apart at the seams any second. Kurz just sat there, wearing a smile that would have made the Cheshire cat green with envy. The tension in the air finally cleared when his mother gave Kaname a kind smile and stood to take one of her hands in her own.

"Chidori-san, it's wonderful to meet you at last. My daughter has been telling me all about you while we waited for you two to arrive. May I say though, their description does _not_ do you justice. My son must have wonderful taste to have attracted such a lovely and respectful young lady such as you. Please, sit down and join us for dinner won't you?" Kaname felt herself blush at the compliments the woman said to her. Turning back to Find Sousuke still acting a little twitchy, Kaname went over and took his arm to lead him to the table. Sitting him down next to his mother, Kaname took the seat across from Kurz and threw him a death glare before settling in. Trying to not make it look obvious, Kurz checked his pulse to make sure he was still alive.

"Thank you for having us tonight Sagara-sama. I have to admit, I've never been to such a nice restaurant in a very long time."

"It's no trouble at all Chidori-san, and please call me Yuki-san. We should be less formal if Sousuke decides to pursue you romantically."

"Ack! MOM!"

"Yes Sousuke? Is something wrong with your mother wanting to see her son while she's in town?" _'Jeez, now that's a double edged sword if I've ever seen one.'_

"T-That's n-not what I…uh…" Kaname couldn't help but sympathize with the poor boy, as he sat between his first date and his mother. _'This must be what those cheesy chic-flicks mean by being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea,'_ she thought. Putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder, Kaname looked over to Yuki and smiled.

"Thank you Yuki-san, you may call me Kaname as well if you like. But please excuse us for our reaction Yuki-san, neither Kurz nor Melissa informed us of your arrival."

"Think nothing of it Kaname-san. I understand my daughter can be quite calculating when she wants to be." Taking another sip of her wine, Yuki turned to Kurz and Melissa and pinned them with a hard look. Both of them gulped noticeably before taking a sip from their water glasses. "Maybe next time they wouldn't mind telling the _whole_ truth so that we can avoid any discomfort in the future?"

"You got it Mrs. S."

"Yeah, sure thing Mom. No problem." A brief knock on the door hailed the start of their meal, with two waitresses bringing in Sakizuke appetizers for each person before asking them if anyone needed a refill for their drinks.

"Kaname-san, as our guest tonight, please feel free to order any drink you wish."

"Thank you Yuki-san, though I'd be happy with just a glass of iced tea." The waitress nodded before exiting to retrieve the drink for her. Looking back at Sousuke, he almost could look like a statue if it wasn't obvious that he was attempting to kill Kurz just by looking at him. In an attempt to calm him down some, Kaname spoke up. "Sousuke, you know we'd like to hear you speak sometime tonight right?" A quiet sigh escaped him before he turned and gave her an apologetic look, he then turned back to face his mother.

"I'm sorry for my earlier behavior Mom. How long will your visit here be?"

"I'm only here until tomorrow afternoon. You're Father had to oversee an important meeting in Hong Kong today, so I asked him if I could stay here and visit with you and Melissa before we went back home to Newport."

"Aw, so you didn't come all this way just to see me?" _'Always the charmer, aren't you Kurz?'_

"Not this time I'm afraid Kurz. But perhaps you and Melissa will be able to visit during one of your breaks? I spoke with your parents shortly before I left, and they would like to see you as well."

"Actually mom, Kurz and I were planning on coming home for a while during our summer break. It's only a week or two, but it's better than waiting until Christmas."

"Yeah. As much as I love it here, I believe the Beach Boys said it best: 'I wish they _all_ could be California Girls'. OW! Mel, what gives?"

"Quit making me remind you that your mine you dipshit, or I'll break something more important to you than your skull!"

"Melissa, please watch your language. I realize that you're all grown up now, but try to humor your dear mother would you?"

"Yeah sure, sorry Mom. But doesn't Dad make you want to rip his face off and feed it to him sometimes?"

"Lord knows I love that man with all my heart dear, but I would be lying if I said loving him was easy. He's very stubborn, and refuses to admit when he's wrong, but his good qualities outweigh his bad ones. No one else ever made me feel so loved and secure in my life, even to this day I love him as much as when we first met."

"Alright Mrs. S! You're one hell of a lady, that's for sure!"

"Thank you Kurz; but would you be interested in some motherly advice?"

"Why not? Wisdom can be found in everything you do; at least that's what Dad always said."

"Your father has always been a wonderful man Kurz; so try and believe me when I tell you that it is sometimes better to listen than it is to speak, alright?" Kurz raised his sake cup and replied with an enthusiastic 'gotcha Mrs. S' before downing the hot liquid. Turning her pewter gaze back over to Kaname, she continued. "So tell me Kaname-san; what does your family do? Do you live here with them?"

"No Yuki-san, I live here by myself. I have for the last two years."

"Two years? That's quite impressive for a young lady. Where is the rest of your family, if you don't mind?"

"Of course not Yuki-san. My Father and younger sister live in New York City, where he works for the United Nations as the Environmental High Commissioner. Unfortunately, my Mother passed away about four years ago from cancer." Kaname's eyes seemed to dull right then; the painful memory of having to watch as her Mother was slowly eaten away by the disease was ever present in her mind. Even more painful, was the fact that throughout it all, she had never stopped smiling. Once finished with the Sakizuke, and Sousuke had recovered from the initial shock, things started to progress a little smoother. The Hassun had been wonderful, followed by Mukozuke, Yakimono with a Gohan side, and a serving of Hayashi-bachi. When they had received their Mizumono, served as vanilla ice-cream with various melon slices and strawberries, the pleasant conversation turned, and things started going down a very interesting road.

"So Sousuke, Melissa tells me that you're having trouble in some of your classes?"

"Yes, though it's mostly in Japanese History. Thankfully Chidori has been more than willing to help me, and we've just finished a very important presentation on Friday that should bring up my score." Kaname blushed when he turned to smile at her. _'Damn he's got a sexy smile!'_ Her blush increasing from her thoughts, she turned back to her plate and picked out a piece of watermelon.

"So you have good grades in school Kaname-san?"

"I simply try my best Yuki-san. I still have some difficulty with Geography, but I make sure to keep my score passable. My Father made a list of stipulations for me to adhere to while living on my own; one of those was to keep my grades at school up."

"I see; your Father sounds like a very trustworthy man Kaname-san. He must make you proud with the job he does."

"Yes Yuki-san, unfortunately we don't get along very well, so even though I miss him and my younger sister, its better if we don't live together. My mother always said it was because we are so alike that we can't get along."

"It must be difficult for you; having to live so far away from them. Don't you have any family here in Japan?"

"Yes actually, my mother's family still lives here, but they never really liked that she married my father. Only recently did my maternal grandfather decide to make amends and come to see me. So even if the rest of them don't like me, I know he's trying his best."

"That's wonderful Kaname-san. You know Sousuke, Kaname-san reminds me of that young lady you dated a while back. You remember, the young Testarossa girl? She always asks about you whenever we see her around town." Kaname choked on her iced tea, trying desperately not to spit it all over Melissa. "Oh my, Kaname-san are you alright?"

"Y-Yes cough Yuki-sa- cough san! I'm sorry, I guess my throat was dry and I drank too much too soon. Would you mind if I went to get some air?"

"Of course Kaname-san. Sousuke, be a gentleman and go with her would you?"

"Sure Mom. After you, Chidori." Opening the door for her he held her arm and walked back outside near the planters and sit on one of the benches. After taking a seat he took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders; for as warm as the summer had been so far, the night air was cooler than usual. "Are you alright Chidori?"

"Yeah, I'm okay Sousuke." Sitting for a while under the glow of the neighboring city lights, the two sat in silence, letting the sounds of the city fill the air. Kaname was once again reeling with thoughts that were busy comparing what she had once known, and the things she knew know; finding millions of parallels as well as the many differences with them. _'So Sousuke and Tessa dated once when he lived in America, huh? I guess that shouldn't surprise me, she always was trying to dig her hooks into him one way or another,' _she thought. _'But, he's here with me now, and Melissa did say that he wasn't really that interested in her that way to begin with.' _A light breeze came through the area, blowing loose strands of her hair in her face. Wiping them away, she took a side glance of the boy sitting next to her, his hair lightly blowing in the night air. Old insecurities were climbing their way to the surface within her, and she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever meet the pale blonde girl again; now that she and Sousuke were dating it seemed almost inevitable. _'I wonder if she would still be the same as she was. Or would she be different like Sousuke is now? Could we even be friends the way we were back then? More importantly, since there is still a Tessa, is there still a Leonard?' _Kaname felt a chill rush up her spine at the thought of having to see him again. New timeline or not, the ghostly memories of the horrible deeds he'd done were still fresh within her mind; as well as the self-satisfied look he wore that rainy night on the rooftop, the body of Yui Lan laying lifeless at his feet. Shivering lightly, she felt Sousuke put an arm around her shoulders, and after getting over the surprise of the simple act, relaxed into him. Kaname could smell the scents of his aftershave and light cologne on his shirt, and tried to make it seem like she wasn't trying to inhale more.

"I'm sorry about tonight Chidori."

"Huh? What for Sousuke?" Turning to look up at him, his gaze fixed on some distant point and illuminated by the neon lights across the street.

"I didn't know my mother would be here. I was kind of hoping that things would have gone smoother than they have." He looked so guilty at his words, Kaname reached out to put her hand on the one holding her shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault Sousuke. And your mother's a really nice person; I'm glad I met her, though I would have rather liked to know she was going to be here." His face fell a little more, and Kaname rushed to try and cheer him up. "But we can't change it now, so don't worry so much okay?" Finally seeing a faint smile break through, he turned to look at her again.

"You know, you always manage to surprise me." Smiling back at him, Kaname's mind made one more parallel. A faint memory of a park fountain, the sunset, and her mother's kimono came through; reminding her that no matter how different he may seem, Sousuke was still the same kind hearted otaku he had always been. Lost in her memories once more, she didn't realize that he had leaned in until his lips met hers. As many times as he'd kissed her before, this was the first time that more than their hands had been touching. The feeling was electric, and Kaname shrugged off his jacket, feeling as if the night air suddenly was a bit too warm. Feeling one of his hands glide across her bare back made her shiver, and she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Reaching up, she tangled her fingers through his hair, careful to avoid messing up the front so they wouldn't be caught. After a few breathless minutes, two parted and leaned on the others forehead to catch their breath. With one more gentle kiss, Kaname heard him whisper in a husky voice, "We should probably go back now." Still unable to speak, she nodded and kissed him one more time before standing and giving him back his coat.

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After returning to their dining room, everyone finished their dessert and prepared to go their separate ways. Yuki had volunteered to pick up the check, and when argued with about it, she said that they should consider it her treat. As they said their goodbyes in the lobby, Yuki gave Sousuke DVD she'd had burned before she came; saying that it had most of the picture he had to leave behind, as well as a few of his performances from his dance club competitions to show his friends. A bit of a blush came across his face at that, but Melissa then reminded him that Yuki still had the clips of when she was in Gymnastics, and would take a few pretty hard falls. Kurz then made the BIG mistake of saying they should make a comedy reel of when Melissa fell down, something in the vein of Benny Hill and with funny sound effects. One more bruise was added to his arm within seconds of the suggestion. While Sousuke had Takanaka bring the car back around, Yuki told Kaname that she should always feel welcome to visit with the others whenever possible, making Kaname blush deeply at how intimate those implications were. Once seated inside the limousine, the two waved goodnight to Yuki, Kurz and Melissa before rolling up the heavily tinted window.

Once on the freeway, Sousuke apologized again for the surprise at dinner, still feeling as if it was ruined despite how well things had turned out. "I told you Sousuke, you didn't know she would be there. It's not like you could help it. We'll just have to kill them both when we have the time okay? Maybe after midterms or something, alright? Now stop worrying over nothing."

"Understood Chidori. Would it then be presumptuous of me to say that I'll make it up to you on another date?" Kaname smiled in the dim light of the limo, the streetlights flashing brightly as they sped by gave her hair moments of gold before fading once more. Feeling her boldness telling her to take another opportunity, she reached over and closed the window to separate the front area from the back.

"Well, that all depends Sousuke."

"Depending on what Chidori?" Sliding over the dark leather seat, she leaned in close when his arm came up to rest on her shoulder again. A light blush played across her features as she spoke.

"On whether or not you kiss me again, Sousuke." His other hand came up to weave through her long locks before gently bringing her closer.

"It's not a problem." The remainder of the ride back to Kaname's apartment complex was spent with the AC turned up nearly all the way, as the young couple in the back of the limo seemed unable to cool off.

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**Whew! This is the longest one I've written yet! I try to keep them long, cause personally, I love long chapters. But when a good time to stop comes up, you just know. **

**I'd like to say that before anyone kills me over Sousuke's Mom, I have never heard her actual name mentioned. I've dug through every internet fansite and official FMP files I can find, and nothing about her name came up, so I'm assuming she has never been named. If she has, please let me know and I'll be sure to correct this. For now, I decided to use what little info I had available. Since it was winter when the 747 carrying sousuke and his mother crashed (from the translation of FMP Sygma), I decided to name her Yuki, after the snow. And for anyone whose curious, you can look up just about everything I mentioned in Wikipedia, as well as locating the hotel and restauarant. Yes they are real! Anyway, I'll have more out ASAP! See ya!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello all! I have to say, writing this chapter was fun for me. It did have its moments like most chapters do, like when something REALLY good is supposed to happen, but you can'think of how to say it. Anyway, This one feels more like a time filler than the others, but I promise that stuff does happen. Things will start to really pick up in the next chapter, but for now this should work. See-ya!**

**_______________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 8 **

The clouds were heavy, and the rain had been coming down in sheets since the early hours of the morning. Kaname Chidori never felt a single drop of it. Even from beneath her umbrella in the pouring rain, her very presence seemed to radiate with the light that was unable to puncture the thick rain clouds. It had been roughly two weeks since her first date with Sousuke, and since then, they had been out three more times. The first day had been a day to just wander through the Sengawa shopping district, idly moving from the shops to the arcades before stopping for food. The second date had been on a beautiful Sunday, and they had met up at Fumofumo Land; spending the whole day together amidst the roller coasters and various other rides and attractions, and later discovering that the Tunnel of Love ride was obviously meant for those that weren't interested in the cheesy decorations. On the third date, Kurz and Melissa had decided to make their apologies with a day trip to Shibuya, which the two of them had decided to foot the entire bill. Kaname and Sousuke later recalled that as a day of groveling for his elder sister and her boyfriend. They had spent that day shopping, and once the sun had set, they were treated to dinner at La Bisboccia. Apparently the death glares and promises of intense pain from the first dinner had influenced the two mischief makers, as Kaname and Sousuke's table was literally all the way across the room from them, allowing for the two to have private conversations and sneak blushing glances at each other without fear of being teased.

Even though those three small words had yet to be said between them, Kaname was more than certain that her feelings were returned. Somehow Sousuke just seemed to know when she needed a simple touch here and there, and the knowledge that he was willing to do so much for her at the drop of a hat filled her heart to the brim with love for him. The summer Mid-terms were almost through, and they would have a full two weeks free of school after that. Kaname had been spending almost every evening at Sousuke's apartment studying with him, and at first, the remaining time before she would go home was filled with video games and movies.

Kaname blushed as she remembered the first time their movie had continued to play, yet they never witnessed the ending. It had started out innocently enough; they had been watching his copy of _'Top Gun'_, and then it seemed that the magic of Berlin's _'Take My Breath Away'_ had been successfully spun once again. For twenty minutes the two lay tangled on the bright crimson of his couch, slowly exploring their way toward second base, and probably would have continued if it hadn't been for the phone that decided to break the mood with its shrill ringing. Kaname then witnessed what it would have been like if Sousuke had decided to pursue an acting career. While his voice remained calm and carefree, his face showed that he was absolutely livid at being torn from the intimate moment with his girlfriend. _'If looks could kill, I don't think Shinji would have made it to graduation,'_ she thought as she remembered that he had called to excitedly tell Sousuke that a new BattleTech book had finally come out at the local bookstore. With the mood thoroughly broken, she had picked up her school bag and decided to call it a night. Walking down to the elevators with her, Sousuke had made sure that she received an elevator ride-long kiss goodnight before she left.

Kaname's blush increased as her mind reminisced in the feeling of his hands slowly making their way up the back of her shirt. He hadn't tried for her bra as she first thought he would, but was content to draw long lines along her spine, making her shiver in his lap. Kaname tried to get her hormones under control as she walked through the school gates and spotted Kyoko waiting for her near the shoe lockers. Trading her street shoes for her school slippers, she and Kyoko headed toward the classroom, each making idle chatter regarding what they did and didn't study for on today's test. Everything would have been fine if Kaname hadn't decided to enter the classroom right then. A huge cloud of smoke came billowing out of the small room, followed by some of the students who had been in there before it had been filled with smoke. Instantly, Kaname's instincts kicked into full force. "SOUSUKE!!" Almost far too innocently, he poked his head out from the thick cloud of smoke still pouring out of the classroom. The goggles and paintball regulated helmet he sported just screamed that somehow it had been his fault.

"Yes Chidori? WHACK! This is getting painful you know…"

"SHUT UP! Just what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"It might interest you to know that this is not entirely my fault Chidori. WHACK! You know, that smarts."

"What do you mean it's not your fault!? What happened? And it better be good or you're a DEAD MAN!!" Taking a moment to sigh, as if feeling like he would suffer either way, he looked her right in the eye before speaking.

"You see Chidori, a few of the guys from class and I had arranged for an Elimination game of paintball after school…"

"Elimination? Explain yourself Sousuke!"

"It's similar to a _'Last Man Standing'_ type of game Chidori. Anyway, to save time, I packed up my equipment and brought it to school with me, that way we could simply head to the field instead of stopping over at my apartment first. I was using my spare time before class making sure that my favorite rifle was properly cleaned for the match, when Ono-D came over and asked about the equipment in my duffle bag. Taking one of my smoke bombs, he pulled the pin inside the classroom, effectively setting it off."

"I can't believe you Sousuke! _THIS_ is not the way the Head of Security to the Student Council should act! You should be setting a good example, not providing descriptions to the contrary!"

"In my defense, I had informed Ono-D of the item's purpose. It's his own fault that- WHACK! Chidori, that is quite painful you know."

"SHUT UP!!!" Still angered at having to deal with a smelly and smoky classroom, Kaname took him roughly by the collar and led him down the hallway, all the while yelling at his irresponsibility. Before turning down on of the joining hallways, she yelled back that Kyoko was to kill Ono-D for her while she dealt with Sousuke.

Kyoko and Ono-D turned to each other, both slightly confused as to what she should do. "Um, Ono-D?"

"Yeah, Tokiwa? Poing! H-Hey, why did you throw your eraser at me?"

"Because now I won't have to lie to Kana-chan about punishing you of course!" Ono-D stood in confusion for a moment, before shrugging it off and saying that he was going to run and get a soda before class. Kyoko just stood patiently next to the classroom door, waiting for her best friend and her best friend's new boyfriend. However, if anyone had bothered to take a closer look at her, they might have noticed a devious look in the young girl's eyes. Because in the whole school, Kyoko Tokiwa was the only one who knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Sousuke was getting the best punishment any guy could hope for. "I just hope Kana-chan and Sousuke finish up before class," she said quietly as she glanced at the hallway clock.

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Fast and feverish lips clashed within the darkness of the seldom used storage closet on the fourth floor. A sliver of the morning light from outside sneaking through under the door provided the only illumination to the two lovers locked within. Shorts gaps and deep breaths were the only sounds that dared resonate inside the confines of the storage closet, the occasional rustling of fabric following each silenced sound. A deeper sigh sounded, hailing the cease of further movement momentarily; their labored breathing the only sign that there was still life in the darkened room. "So Sousuke is that another smoke bomb in your pocket?"

"Will you hit me if I tell you?"

"That all depends; you pervert."

"Then I refuse to answer." After a few slightly less bruising kisses, Kaname reached up to pull the chain for the storage light. Both sported a dazed look in their eyes and a heavy blush across their cheeks, and Kaname idly noticed that Sousuke would have to fix his hair before he came back out. Never breaking eye contact, Kaname pulled out the smoke bomb Sousuke had pocketed before being dragged off to the storage room. Her lucid eyes started blinking away the passionate haze, revealing her usual hardened look.

"You are such a liar Sousuke."

"I never lied to you Chidori. I said that I refused to answer. Either way, you would have smacked me with your halisen and deemed me a pervert for both lines of thought. I simply created my own option rather than face your wrath." _'Very good Grasshopper, you learn quickly,'_ she thought. _'But you should know better than to challenge me.' _Slipping the confiscated smoke bomb into her skirt pocket, she took hold of his wrists and pinned them to his sides. Being sure to stay just out of reach, she teased him with near kisses, grazing his heated skin with her teeth. Doing her best, despite the haze that had settled over her mind, Kaname managed to dodge out of reach whenever he attempted to reach her mouth. Taking things a little further, she dared light bites at his lips and long cheek-to-cheek caresses; the hitched breathing coming from him sparking her own desire. Realizing too late that she left herself wide open, Kaname's grip loosened when he planted searing hot kisses down her neck. _'Touché,' _she thought, before her mind went blank once more. Their intense exchange lasted only a minute or two longer before Sousuke released her and took the comb from his shirt pocket to fix his hair. Once they were both presentable again, Kaname peeked out the door to make sure the coast was clear so they could come out of hiding from the storage closet. Checking each other one last time to make sure nothing was out of place, Kaname did her best to appear as if she had ripped Sousuke a new one, while Sousuke made sure to keep a neutral expression for as long as he needed. When they finally got back to class, nothing looked out of place, and only Kyoko was able to see right through them.

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"ikutsumo no yoru wo kurikaeshi

kawasu omoi kanata made"

"atsuku kogare mune de dakishimete kubisuji kisu shite

eien ni futari amaku yureugoku kanjou

yubi ga fureta setsunai kono kimochi kuchibiru nazotte

koi ni ochiru yasashii koe sasayaite"

"sotto kuchi'zuketai shimetsukeru omoi ni ki'zuite

nakitsukareta hitomi nanimo iwazu daite

itsuka kitto ieru awaku kagayaita kono omoi

koi ga akaku fukaku yoru wo someteku"

"tatoe hanaretete mo miushinawanai shinjiaeru

nanimo iwazu daite"

"Wow Kana-chan! That was so good!" Kyoko and all the other girls gave the enthusiastic class rep. a loud applause from their seats. Since it had been found out that all the boys were going to be _'killing'_ each other in a paintball match, the girls decided to have a karaoke party to celebrate the end of another round of tests. They still had four more days of testing to go through, but all work and no play makes Jindai girls grouchy and violent. And some of them wanted their boyfriends in one piece for when the tests were done. Kaname took a flamboyant bow before walking off the stage and handing the microphone over to Maya for her turn. Leaning back in the comfortable bench beside Kyoko, Kaname took a long gulp of her soda happily. "So Kana-chan, you aren't disappointed at not spending today with Sousuke are you?"

"Are you kidding? And miss Ryo's terrible impression of Celine Dion? Honestly Ky, what would make you think I wouldn't enjoy this? Besides, we've been practically joined at the hip lately, and some gender specific time apart will do us some good I think." In truth, Kaname did miss him a little already, but truly did believe in having fun with the girls. Maya finished with her rendition of Amuro Namie's _'Say the Word'_, and Mizuki had just started vogue-ing her attempt at Lady Gaga's _'Fashion'_.

"I know all that Kana-chan, I was just curious. Trust me; we all know how much _fun_ you have with him."

"And just _what_ are you implying Kyoko?!" Kaname's face turned about five shades of red in mere seconds. A new record for Kyoko, who had made her turn only two the other day when she asked if Sousuke was a good kisser. Of course Kyoko wasn't expecting an answer to any of these questions, unlike the other ones which she eventually was told that, yes, he was an _amazing_ kisser. Kaname had never witnessed such open deviousness on her best friends face before, like she was looking for anything to pin Kaname with something juicy about her new relationship.

"You know Kana-chan," she said in a low sing-song voice that promised doom. "So have you seen him with his shirt off or anything?"

"Uh, duh Ky, it's called P.E. class." Kaname wanted to play dumb for as long as possible with this. The last thing she wanted to be public knowledge was the more intimate details of her relationship. If she could keep Kyoko going long enough, she might just give up.

"Kaname, you can't play stupid with me." _'Shit!' _ "Just how far have you gotten with Sousuke anyway?"

"No way Kyoko. That's for me and Sousuke to know, and you to NEVER find out." _'That's it Kaname! Stay strong and keep quiet! They have no right to know about the scar behind his left shoulder from his other skateboarding accident.' _

"So he hasn't found out what bra size you wear yet?"

"Nope. Absolutely not."

"But you have kissed."

"Yes."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"In his apartment?"

"Yes."

"He wears boxers doesn't he?" Had Kaname been paying attention closely, she might have avoided anything further. But pure psychology will prove that if you begin to condition a response, the response starts to become automatic due to the repetition of duplicate stimuli. Similar to the experiment by Ivan Pavlov and his study of 'psychic secretion' in dogs. Thus, Kaname fell victim to the Pavlovian responses; giving out more information than she realized, until it was too late.

"Black ones." _'WHAT THE HELL!? WAIT A MINUTE!?' _ "Uh…w-wait a sec…"

"I knew it! You have gotten pretty far with him haven't you Kana-chan!" Unfortunately for Kyoko, the saying works in many ways: _'Give a mouse a cookie and he'll eventually ask for more'_. But in this situation, the saying would be more appropriate if read as: _'Make Chidori Kaname angry, and prepare for an early grave'_. Kaname looked ready to explode into flames at any given moment, but Kyoko must have not noticed as she only furthered her questioning. "So does he feel as athletic as he looks Kana-chan?"

"Kyoko!"

"Have you said _'I love you'_ yet?" Not one to be deterred from her train of thought, Kaname completely disregarded most of the other questions as she sat and tried to desperately find a reason to let Kyoko live after she was finished dismembering her. The rushing in her ears nearly drowning out the other two questions Kyoko shot out at her, Kaname's already short fuse began to burn quicker. "So let's hear it Kana-chan! Come on, come on!"

"KYOKO!!!"

"Yeah?"

"Now listen to me, and listen GOOD! I was over at his apartment, and he was doing some LAUNDRY!! NOTHING MORE!! UNDERSTOOD?!?!" Kaname's face may have still been four or five shades of red already, but it was unknown at this point if this was due to her embarrassment or her anger. Kyoko was used to her temper though, so she merely shrugged and leaned back on the bench. Once Kaname had toned down exactly how mad she was, she took long strides toward Aki, who was finishing Utada Hikaru's _'Sanctuary'_. Scanning the karaoke selection, Kaname was determined to find one that would allow her to accomplish three things at once. One, she had to burn off some steam; two, she had wanted to sing again anyway; and three, she had to remind Kyoko just who it was she had decided to argue with. Finally locating one that should suffice, the look on Kaname's face said more than she probably realized. As soon as the music started, she could see clearly that Kyoko had gotten the point. No one messes with Chidori Kaname and gets away scot-free. That included friend and foe alike. Kyoko would learn her harsh lesson, and if she was lucky, she would get it without any bruises to go with it.

"Get down on your knees

Get a good head on your shoulders

If it's for your guys

Go to the end of the earth"

"Do what you think

Give it with dedication

I'll put out your misery"

"You made a mess

For Christ sake, this rotten world

Shit out of luck"

"Go with my vision

Light up the fire

Right on the power

Weapon... I have it all"

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Kaname lightly tapped her pencil against the test paper on her desk. Normally Kaname found the English tests to be almost painfully easy, but it seemed that the teacher had decided to up the anty. Glancing at the clock to check the time, she went back to tapping the pencil lead on the paper. _'Hm, what English sentence has all the letters in the alphabet? Extra credit for circling the subject and verb in the sentence.' _ Taking another look at the clock, Kaname realized she had less than ten minutes left to finish the final question. Placing her pencil back down, she stretched to try to get the blood flowing. She felt exceptionally confident about the rest of the test, now she just needed to solve this last question; after that, Kaname was certain she would get a near perfect score. In a way, she almost envied Sousuke. He'd been speaking mainly English for a larger part of his life up until recently, and was more than fluent in both languages. Taking a peak over her shoulder, Kaname had to suppress a giggle at the sight of her boyfriend trying to vertically balance his pencil on his nose. _'I guess he's already done,'_ she thought as she turned back toward her own test sheet.

Kaname was just about to accept that she would not remember the answer, when a picture on the wall caught her eye. It had been one of the school's field trips from earlier in the year, and they had gone for an overnight camping trip in the countryside near Mizuhoshi-sensei's home. One of the photos had caught a fox racing across an open field. That's when it hit her, the answer came back as clear as day. Working quickly, Kaname filled in the answer and circled the subject and verb just seconds before the teacher announced _'Pencils Down'_. Satisfied with her performance on the test, she bent her head all the way back to lean her head on the rim of Sousuke's desk; her view now showing an upside down Sousuke who had just given up at balancing the pencil on the tip of his nose. "So how do you think you did Sousuke?"

"I am confident that my English has not dulled since living here. Did our studying help at all?"

"Hm, I think so. I mean, I feel pretty good about how I did." Kaname closed her eyes as Sousuke ran his fingers through her long cerulean locks. A light sigh escaping her from the gentle treatment, Kaname's eyes drifted closed under her boyfriend's ministrations. She was so relaxed that she almost didn't hear him when he spoke. "Huh? What was that Sousuke?"

"I just asked if you wanted to come over after school. We could order a pizza, watch a movie or two…just kick back for a while?" A lazy smile came across her face as she sat back up from her arched position. Stretching out her arms once more she turned in her chair to a more comfortable position.

"Actually, I had plans with Kyoko and Ren right after school. But how about I come by after that? We should be done around seven or so."

"That's fine; it should give me a few hours to clean up a little too. I've been studying a bit more than usual, and I've kind of let the place go."

"Don't tell me you have a pair of boxers hanging from the ceiling fan do you?" Giggling at the mere prospect that Sousuke could be _that_ negligent with cleaning his apartment. Not to mention the fact that he would have to put a lot of effort into getting them there in the first place. Due to the vaulted ceilings in his living room, he would have had his work cut out for him with the fan hanging eight feet above his head.

"No. But if you like, that can be arranged Chidori."

"Pervert."

"Maybe, but because of our relationship, that makes me your pervert." Kaname smiled at that. She still found herself surprised that the serious demeanor she once new was now easily able to crack a joke, or laugh for that matter. No matter how much time she spent with him, it didn't matter if it was in the old world she'd left behind or the new one that the TAROS had created, Kaname had discovered the she had always liked being around him. Even at his most paranoid and destructive, being with him made everything else feel trivial; because as long as Kaname was with him, they really could do anything. _'Hell, we even saved a damn submarine for god's sakes,' _she thought. _'That's gotta be worth at least a few brownie points right?'_

___________________________________________________________

Once class had been dismissed, Sousuke was dragged off with Ono-D, Shinji, and some of the other boys, and Kaname waited patiently for Ren and Kyoko to pack up their things. Once all of their belongings had been packed up the three girls made the short trek down to the shoe lockers to retrieve their sneakers. Just as Kaname finished slipping on her pink sneakers, a loud bang resonated through the locker area. A feeling of familiarity and dread began to creep up her spine, and Kaname could already feel her anger rising. Making her way two rows down, she found a rather startled and somewhat more colorful Shirai. Now on the proverbial war path, Kaname's gaze swept the locker room, searching for a head of wild mahogany hair. _'Aha! Target Located!'_ she thought as she caught Sousuke trying to sneak behind a water fountain near the door. "SOUSUKE!!!" Realizing he was caught, he froze for a moment before walking back toward her and lowered his head. A loud whack echoed through the small area, and Kaname made a mental note to pack some **pain killers **when she went over to his place later that evening. "What the hell happened THIS time Sousuke?!"

"This is not my fault today Chidori." WHACK!

"Like HELL it isn't Sousuke!! You're a terrible liar! Now out with it!"

"Very well. I was asked to rig Shirai Satoru's locker with a motion activated paint bomb. As you can see, once that locker was opened, the motion activated sensor triggered. Thus, this resulted in Shirai's impromptu face paint." Glancing over at the still partially paralyzed boy, Shirai's friends had come over to try and snap him out of it, while one of the girls attempted to wipe the neon pink paint from his face.

"A paint bomb Sousuke? Who the hell would ask you to do something like that anyway?"

"Inaba asked me to do it."

"Mizuki?"

"Yes, she said it was because he's a lowlife two-timing jerk who's not even worthy of being the amoeba on the flea of a filthy street rat that has been infected with syphilis and has been run over by a passing eighteen wheel truck." Kaname stood in sheer amazement that he was able to recall that much of what Mizuki had said. Still standing dumbstruck for a moment, Kaname came back out of it when he asked if she was alright.

"Yeah, I'm fine Sousuke. Just tell me one thing, okay?"

"Yes Chidori?"

"Those paint bomb things, are they dangerous beyond what we can see? You know like tiny shrapnel that may blind him or something?"

"Some paint bombs can have dangerous shrapnel or cause other light to medium injuries Chidori. However, I was able to modify the one I rigged in Shirai's locker so that the only repercussion from detonation would be the enormous paint splatter. As you can see, it was a success." Kaname wanted to be mad at him, she really did, but she had to admit that it was a lot less of an inconvenience to have to clean up a bit of paint versus having to build a whole new set of lockers. The janitor probably wouldn't even bat an eye passed asking why it was there in the first place. Besides, she had to agree with Mizuki, Shirai was a definite scumbag. He tried to date just about every girl in Jindai since he started attending, sometimes up to three at a time. With a short sigh and a second glance back at the recovering wannabe playboy, Kaname messed her bangs as she looked back at Sousuke.

"Alright Sousuke, seeing as no one's gotten hurt or anything I guess I can let this go. But no more using your paintball equipment for anything other than paintball. Okay?"

"Understood Chidori. So I'll se you later tonight then?" Kaname felt herself soften at the hopeful look she saw in his eyes, and for once decided to go against typical Japanese etiquette. Stepping up to him, she lifted slightly on her toes and gave him a quick but lingering kiss, making sure he saw the smile that now played on her face.

"It's a date Sousuke."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**There! Made especially for those who miss a little of classic Sousuke action. I know, I kind of missed him too. Please excuse the random fangirl moment, but am I the only one that finds his reasoning behind all those explosions perfectly reasonable? I must be some kind of otaku freak or something. Oh well, I can always dream of blowing stuff up with Sousuke. Sigh He's so hot. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this segment, and I promise to have the next one started ASAP. Later!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello all! I can't believe I keep getting such wonderful reviews from everyone! All of the comments and reviews really help me keep my spirits up when I get unsure of anything. Also, for anyone who was curious, Kaname's karaoke songs were: "Scarlet" by BRAC;ED, and "Red Faction" by Mell. The first was the opening song for the anime 'Karin' (which is really a cute show!), and the second was the intro song for 'Black Lagoon' (I LOVE that show!).**

**Anyway, I should also warn you that this chapter has some citrus flavor to it. I promise that it doesn't get too out-there, but I assure you that it does serve its purpose. If you are easily offended by this stuff, please just skim through it. It's not very long, but I couldn't avoid it either. On that note, hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 9 **

After spending the early part of the afternoon with Kyoko and Ren, Kaname still had a huge smile plastered on her face. Spending their time at the arcade, she had beaten her best score on House of the Dead 2, and placed first on the racing game. All in all, Kaname was feeling pretty good about nearly everything. Sure life still had its ups and downs, but she had wonderful friends, a promising future (for once), and a hot boyfriend who cared deeply for her. What more could any high school girl wish for? Kaname was practically skipping down the street as she walked to Sousuke's apartment building, the surrounding area growing steadily nicer and far more expensive with every street corner. Saying a short hello to the girl behind the desk, Kaname swiped her access card and pushed the elevator button for Sousuke's floor. She'd be a little early, but so what. Kaname wanted her boyfriend, and she wanted him now.

She blushed; letting those two words run through her mind a few more times. _'My boyfriend,'_ she thought. _'For once someone doesn't look at me like I'm some unattainable high school idol. I wonder if anyone even still thinks of me as the hottest girl you'd never want to date anyway.' _ Deciding to focus on more positive things, she exited the elevator and made her way down the long hallway. Waiting patiently after knocking on the door, Kaname checked her appearance once more, noticing that she still wore her school uniform. _'Maybe I should have changed first,' _she thought offhandedly. Light clicks came from the door as it was being unlocked, and before she knew it she was losing herself in the dark silvery eyes of her wonderful boyfriend. With a quick kiss and hello, Kaname entered his apartment and set her schoolbags down in the guestroom and out of the way. "So how was shopping with the girls today Chidori? Any new outfits?"

"Pervert, you just want an excuse for me to model for you."

"Is this a problem? If you'd prefer I could go on the internet and appreciate other women until you're satisfied." Walking past him, she gave him a light punch in the shoulder before grabbing a soda from his fridge. Leaning against the counter, she popped the top and took a drink before attempting a playful come back.

"Am I that ugly to you Sousuke?" A childish pout now graced her face, making it difficult for him not to smile back at her. Walking swiftly around the bar he set his hands on the counter behind her, letting him lean on the counter from in front of her. Unable to resist, she leaned over to kiss him again, holding it much longer than the greeting he got at the door. Once she pulled back, Kaname realized that he had had the music player on the whole time. _'Should have figured he'd like this band,' _she thought. "So somebody likes the Beach Boys huh?"

"Well I _was_ raised in California. And being a fan of surfing doesn't help much either. Besides, even though I know it's not very likely to happen, one of my childhood dreams was to attend one of their concerts." Kaname lifted a hand to gently trace the hard line of his jaw. Trying valiantly not to blush, Kaname decided to follow her new life's path and just go for it.

"So then, what are your dreams now?" A deep blush came across his face, but surprisingly, his voice remained steady. _'He must be getting used to things like this,'_ she thought happily.

"Lately, I've had dreams of a beautiful girl I met while living in Tokyo…"

"Really, so I have competition?"

"I must say you have your work cut out for you. See, this girl, she has the most beautiful brown eyes. She's got this long, thick, blue hair; it looks like a waterfall in the sunlight, you really should see it sometime." Kaname giggled at the roundabout way he was admiring her, it really was endearing to know what he thought about her. Kaname wanted to hear more, so she decided she'd play along for a while.

"I don't know Sousuke, sounds pretty normal if you ask me."

"You wouldn't think that if you saw _those_ legs. I swear, they could go on forever; not to mention those dangerous curves of hers. Not even NASCAR has tracks that devious."

"Hm, sounds serious."

"Could be," he said before lazily kissing her once more. Their faces still only inches apart, he tilted his head to whisper next to her ear. "But you want to know a secret?" His proximity was beginning to seriously affect her hormones, feeling his breath play across her ear; Kaname could only nod as she was pressed up against the counter. Setting down her soda she lifted her hands to take hold of his shoulders, feeling she might need help standing if he continued like he was. "This girl, her name is Chidori Kaname, and I love her with all my heart."

Already high on the feeling of having him pressed so close to her, after hearing those words Kaname began to feel a little lightheaded. Feeling his hot breath at her uniform collar, she tilted her head away to give him access to her neck, nearly swooning when she felt him lightly biting and kissing her delicate skin. After lavishing attention on her neck, he moved up to plant heated kisses along her jaw before reaching her mouth. Pulling back, the heat from their actions causing their faces to flush, Kaname's hands came up to run her fingers through his hair, simultaneously massaging his scalp and causing his smoky eyes to drift closed with a contented sigh. After relishing in the relaxing moment he lifted his head and kissed her one more time before opening his eyes to stare back at her. "I love you…Kaname."

Despite the heat that now radiated from her skin, Kaname felt a warmth growing in her chest at hearing him repeat those words. Her eyelids almost completely closed, she leaned in and whispered against his lips, "I love you Sousuke." Her tongue sweeping across his bottom lip was all the invitation he needed to deepen the kiss, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the countertop's edge. Lowering her hands, Kaname reached behind to come up under his jersey and drag her fingernails down his back, drawing a low moan from the back of his throat. "Touch me Sousuke," she whispered in between kisses. His hands finally loosening their grip on the countertop, one came up to roam across her back, while the other settled tightly on her hip. Removing her hands from his back, Kaname untied the bow from her uniform and removed the jacket, leaving her in her skirt and the short-sleeved button up she had worn underneath. Popping open the top three buttons, her shirt opened to reveal her cleavage to his hungry gaze.

Resuming the sweet torture she had been administering to his back, with a low growl he dove for her exposed neck. The hand at her back crept up the back of her shirt, lightly tracing her spine from the bottom of her bra to the top waist of her skirt. Just as the hand at her hip started to move down to the hem of her skirt, the shrill ring of the telephone ripped through the air, freezing the two for a few moments before shooting angry glares at the offending object. Sousuke turned back to face her, an apologetic look on his face. A small laugh came from her bruised lips as she ruffled his hair. Leaning in to plant a chaste kiss on his forehead, she untangled herself from him. "Come back quickly, okay Sousuke?" With a sigh, he nodded and went to answer the telephone. Deciding to change her location, should anything continue down the earlier path, Kaname walked over to the couch and flipped through a few channels. Not really finding anything, she moved to look over his movies.

"Sagara speaking…oh, hi Mom…yeah…uh-huh…yeah, we've been fine…better…really, you'd let us do that?...I'll have to ask, can I e-mail you when I get an answer?...sure…it's not a problem Mom…yeah…love you too…bye."

"So how's Yuki-san Sousuke?"

"Doing well, did you want to watch something?"

"I'm not sure, just looking at the moment. Can you please get me my soda from the kitchen?"

"Sure." As he went back to get her soda for her, Kaname skimmed through his vast movie collection. Randomly picking one up, Kaname looked somewhat confused for a second. _'Never pictured Sousuke to have a movie like this,'_ she thought as she looked at the cover.

"Find something?"

"Maybe, hey Sousuke, why would you have a movie like this?" She turned the movie cover in his direction so he could see which one she held.

"Oh that one, that's a classic Kaname. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner are great in that movie. Haven't you seen it before?"

"Never even heard of it. What's it about?"

"Let's watch it and you'll see," he replied as he took the case from her hands to put the disk in the player. Feeling slightly cooled off after the intrusion of the telephone, the two settled on the couch to watch the movie. Kaname was slightly confused when the movie began, but it was then explained that the opening scenes had been a visual for the novel Turner's character had been writing. She had also found many parallels with the opening scene, and how she imagined things might have played out had the TAROS been successfully shut down. As she watched, Kaname couldn't contain her powerful laughter as she watched Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner fall into a chaotic mudslide down a steep hill in the pouring rain. Sousuke's laughter joined hers as the actors' impromptu ride ended with Douglas's head falling between Turner's legs as she sat in a semi deep muddy water puddle. Kaname ended up leaning under Sousuke's arm with her legs tucked under her. As they continued to watch, their positions slowly changed, and by the time the big climax had begun, Kaname was practically laying on top of Sousuke, who had one hand on her shoulder while the other repeatedly ran itself through her long hair.

Even though Kaname had always been more of a tough girl, she couldn't help but tear up a little when she saw the large sailboat that waited for Turner to arrive, parked on the busy New York side street. Glancing up, she saw Sousuke smile as Douglas came out of the ships cabin and raised his arms to show off the boat, kicking down a rope ladder for Turner climb up as the camera focused in on his alligator skin boots.

Turner: I like your boots

Douglas: Yeah, that poor old yellow-tailed guy…developed a fatal case of indigestion. Died right in my arms.

Turner: I can't blame him. If I were to die there's nowhere on earth I'd rather be.

Douglas: I couldn't stop thinking about you. I even read one of your books.

Turner: Then you know how they all end.

Kaname smiled as the camera focused on the stern of the boat, showing that it had been named _'Angelina' _after the heroine from Turner's books, before slowly zooming out over the backdrop of the busy New York streets. Hugging him as she stretched, Kaname craned her neck up to kiss him again. _'He was just like you used to be Sousuke. He came back to her,' _she thought as the screen faded out and the credits rolled. "That was a good movie, but I'm still kind of confused. Why would you of all people have an adventure romance movie Sousuke?"

"To be honest, it was one of the first movies I watched with my Mom when I was younger. I'd had the flu and was home from school that day, when I got hungry I went to find my Mom and she had been in the living room watching this movie. So, she gave me a bowl of soup and I watched it with her until I fell back asleep." Kaname leaned back up to kiss him, letting it linger before slightly pulling away. The mood shifting again, he whispered, "Did you want to watch another movie?" She shook her head, her only response in closing the distance between them again. The heat from earlier was building itself back up, faster this time by the way they had been positioned on the couch. Sliding her hands back under his jersey, she ran her fingernails down his sides, feeling him shiver under her.

Shifting to sit up more, the hand on her shoulder moved slowly down over her shoulder blades to grip the bottom of her button up. A bit surprised that his hand stayed immobile, Kaname pulled up her legs to lift her form from the couch. Momentarily bringing her hands back out from under his jersey; she released the last five buttons and discarded the shirt on the floor. Moving back down to kiss him, she took one of his hands and placed it on the pale pink lace of her bra. He didn't move for a moment, but just as she was about to help him along, she felt him slowly begin to knead the tender flesh. Stretching out her legs along the couch once more, her skirt crept up, leaving the white satin underwear beneath exposed.

Breaking the kiss once more, she tugged at his shirt, whispering "Take it off" against his mouth. Giving him room, the green and white jersey shirt was tossed over the back of the couch; now piled on top of her discarded white button up. Before coming back down, Kaname reached around and undid the clasp on her bra, leaving it on for him to do the work. The dangling straps would be sheer torture, Kaname knew, and the now loose hold the cups had on her breasts would only add to the temptation. Bringing his hands up to cup her face, they glided down to momentarily grip her shoulders before sliding down the straps as his hands traveled down her arms. Kaname picked up her arms to help finish releasing her bra, leaving it to settle near the edge of the couch.

Flipping her over, Sousuke held her wrists into the soft cushions as he kissed her deeply. Kaname's skirt had hiked up completely in the short tussle, and now lay bunched around her waist. He worked his way down slowly, stopping to plant searing hot kisses along the line of her collarbone. Just as he was about to latch on to her painfully taut nipple, the phone rang. He stopped short, his breath already teasing the sensitive flesh. The telephone continued to ring; Kaname looked at him from under heavy eyelids to see the conflict in his darkened eyes. Kaname could only picture what she must look like just then, her hair spread out and disheveled beneath her, dilated chocolate eyes, bruised lips, and her panting breaths swaying her freed breasts. If she were to be with anyone else, she probably would've been ashamed at the wanton desire she most likely had painted across her features. But when she heard him breathlessly say "Fuck it" and dip to capture a nipple in his mouth, she found she couldn't care less.

Arching her back to give him better access, her mind went blank against the delicious sensations he invoked from on top of her. His hands still holding her wrists in an iron grip, she lifted her leg to rub against the outside of his thigh, the only sounds being her breathy moans and his heavy breathing. When his knee came up to put pressure at the apex of her thighs, all her thoughts went out the window. It wasn't long afterward that the heat became too much for either of them to handle. Kaname couldn't tell when exactly they had relocated to his bedroom, and was even less cognizant of how they managed such a feat without breaking their fevered kisses. Her thoughts didn't fully come back to her until long after as she lay beneath him, feeling completely satiated. Leaning up the short distance, she kissed him softly between their gasps for breath. Running her hands through his hair once more, she lay back down on the soft black sheets of his bed, cradling his head on her shoulder as they came back down to earth.

Her whole body felt like jelly, and glancing at the clock, Kaname concluded that she would probably be spending the remainder of the night right where she was. It didn't really matter though, they only had one test left in the morning, and the teachers had announced that after they were finished that they could leave early. Besides, the only test left was a math test, and her and Sousuke both did decently well in math class, so she wasn't worried. It would be a bit of a challenge to sneak things by Kyoko though; she and Sousuke had never arrived at school at the same time _and_ coming from the same direction. Kaname was so lost in thought she didn't realize that Sousuke had reached up a hand to thread their fingers with her closest hand. "I love you Kaname."

"Hm. I love you too Sousuke." Leaning up they shared a lazy kiss before he started moving to the side of the bed. "Going somewhere?"

"Just to find a pair of boxers. If you want you could wear one of my shirts." Feeling mischievous, Kaname sat up and made sure the sheet fell below her breasts.

"So you don't want your girlfriend walking around your apartment in her birthday suit?" Smiling, he came back to lean over the bed and kiss her.

"Believe me; I think there should be a law against you wearing anything at all. Works of art really should be displayed proudly. But I tend to keep my apartment on the cool side, and since you like it warm I just thought I'd offer." Kaname blushed at the glaring compliment, reaching over to take hold of his hand and give it a tug to help her up.

"Well who could argue with logic like that? Okay Sousuke, I'll take a t-shirt." Nodding, he headed over to his closet and grabbed the first shirt he found and tossed it to her. While Kaname slipped it over her head, Sousuke went in search of his boxer shorts, unsure if the pair he'd been wearing earlier had made it into his bedroom or not. Curious, Kaname went to his mirror and spread out the shirt she now wore, a loud giggle coming from her after she read what it said.

"Kaname?" Apparently he had located his boxer shorts, and was now coming up the spiral steps to enter his room.

"Hey Sousuke, so did you buy this shirt in order to say something, or was it purely a coincidence?"

"What do you mean?" Turning around, Kaname spread the shirt out once more. The black fabric had a heart-shaped grenade in red, and in big white letters beneath it, it said _'American Idiot'_. Catching what she meant, he chuckled and told her that she'd have to date him a while longer to find out the answer.

Since it was already a quarter to midnight, they decided to make a quick meal of macaroni and cheese before heading to bed. Kaname mentioned that she would need to make a home-made batch for him sometime, since the recipe she had also included sour cream, diced ham and freshly grated cheddar cheese. "By the way Kaname, when I talked to my mother earlier she wanted me to ask you something."

"What's up?"

"Well, they wanted to know if you would want to spend your two weeks with me in California. See, we have a villa up in Malibu; we could stay there a few days, head down to Newport, then if you wanted we could spend the last few days in New York with your family." Kaname would have been lying if she said she wasn't surprised by the generous offer, but then her immediate surroundings reminded her of the obvious. _'Duh Kaname, of course they would have more than one house. The founder of a multi-million dollar security company and you are dating his son. Of course Sousuke would be able to use it all if he pleased,_' she thought.

"I don't know Sousuke. I wouldn't want to impose on your family or anything…"

"It wouldn't be imposing Kaname. My mother invited you, and seeing as she's already informed me, she has therefore already cleared things with my father. As long as they say its okay, there should be no problem." Kaname put another spoonful of the mac and cheese into her mouth as she thought about it. It certainly was a very attractive offer, and spending her vacation with him was what she was planning anyway. Finishing off her bowl, she picked it up and put it into the dishwasher before turning around to talk more.

"Okay Sousuke. I'd love to go with you, but will Melissa and Kurz be with us the whole time? I don't know how many of their hijinks we can take." They had only just recently forgiven them for the migraine they had given Sousuke on their first real date, and besides their usual antics, the two college students at times were more than Kaname could handle in one sitting. Sousuke had told her that he once referred to Kurz as the world's largest candy bar; sure it looked good and made some people happy, but too much of him could cause one hell of a stomach ache. Of course Sousuke could also go on forever about the trouble Melissa could get into if left to her own devices, citing when she had attempted to pull a _'Ferris Bueller'_ over on their parents when Kurz had asked her to go with him to see a demonstration by the Blue Angels in San Francisco. Apparently they had convinced one of his father's pilots to fly them to the show and then get them back before the parents were due home from work. They would have succeeded if Yuki hadn't returned home early and tried to take Melissa's temperature to see if her 'fever' had gone down. _'Oh to be a fly on the wall during **that** explanation,'_ Kaname thought.

"They actually left earlier today to spend a few days in Cancun. If we leave late tomorrow and spend four days in Malibu, then our schedules should only overlap by about two days or so." Keeping a thoughtful look on her face she roamed back over to him and gave him a quick hug before messing up his already tussled hair.

"Alright Sousuke, let's go. But if you make anymore mischief with any of that paintball stuff, I swear…" Still feeling excited about the trip, Kaname was unable to properly threaten him. Shaking her fist near his face, she tried to make a point, but no matter what she tried the smirk would not disappear from his face. The infamous Chidori patience was wearing thin at the thought that he was mocking her, she was pretty sure that he was able to see the imaginary fuse burning short. "So what's got you so smug?" His smirk increased as he turned and retrieved the remote for the music system. After punching a few buttons, he hit play and crossed his arms as he leaned against the back of the couch. The music came on, and once the chorus began echoing through the apartment, Kaname's fuse ran out. The lyrics and the look of impending death on her face only made his smirk turn into a full blown grin.

"Hurt so good  
Come on baby make it hurt so good  
Sometimes love don't feel like it should  
You make it hurt so good"

She must have chased him for at least fifteen minutes before she was able to come up with a plan. After cornering him in the guest room closet, she slammed the guest room door and made a bee-line for the stairs to his room. Hiding in his bathroom, she shed the borrowed t-shirt and fixed her hair. When she heard him coming up the stairs to look for her, she gave the bathroom door a light push, letting it slowly swing open the rest of the way. Kaname had to force herself not to smile at the feeling of ultimate victory she felt when he stopped dead in his tracks to stare at her naked body sauntering over toward him. Just when she leaned in to kiss him, Kaname reached around and yanked up on his boxer shorts. "Wedgie!"

Having thoroughly won the battle, Kaname was still giggling to herself as she fell asleep in his arms.

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**Okay, so there's the mush w/ citrus glaze for ya. Hope it wasn't too horrible. I don't claim to be a good writer at all, fact is I was surprised that people were reading this at all, but I most certainly won't claim to be a decent citrus writer either. I've been reading the stuff for years, but attempting to write it for myself is about the only thing left in this world that can make me blush. But the way things were going, a little citrus was needed and I just had to bite the bullet.**

**My random pop-culture in this chapter was as follows: The Beach Boys, 'Hurt So Good' by John Mellancamp, Greenday's American Idiot, and the 1984 classic film, Romancing the Stone. Which I would recommend as one of the most perfect date movies ever. **

**Anyway, for anyone who was wondering when other characters would show up, be prepared! The location change is crucial! Maybe I'll be generous and have that mysterious Testarossa girl show up? I'll be sure to start the next chapter ASAP so you can find out. Later! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Finally! This one was hell to construct properly, especially when my boss keeps trying to drive me into a corner! I hate that man soooo Much! Iswear I would love nothing more than to introduce him to some well deserved punishment! Chidori Style! He needs to feel the pain! Anyway, sorry if this one's a little short, but There's still a little more to come. Hope you enjoy!**

**________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 10 **

Just as Kaname had predicted, Kyoko had not only noticed that she and Sousuke had arrived at the same time, but she had also seen them coming from the same direction as well. Thankfully though, Kaname wasn't bombarded with questions until _after_ she had switched her shoes and entered the cool hallway. Kyoko had gotten braver too; when she realized that Kaname wasn't talking, she was able to corner Sousuke while he had been at the vending machines. The situation had escalated when Maya and Ryo had overheard some of the things she was asking him, and came over to ask questions of their own. The crowd of girls had poor Sousuke in a near panic by the time Kaname had showed up; she had been wondering how long it took for someone to get a granola bar from the machine when she came around the corner.

Hoping that Sousuke wouldn't take her drastic actions as an excuse to do anything stupid in the future, Kaname reached in her skirt pocket for the smoke grenade she had taken from him earlier in the week. They made brief eye contact, and Kaname used a series of exaggerated movements to communicate. Once he saw the grenade in her hand, she could see him prepare for his dash to freedom. Quickly she pulled the pin and launched it into the female frenzy at Sousuke's feet. Acting quickly, they both took the opportunity to sprint down the hallway and into the classroom before they could be followed. Once inside the relative safety of the classroom, the two leaned up against the wall to catch their breath. "Sousuke?"

"Kaname?"

"If I _EVER_ catch you doing that…" The unfinished threat was enough. He merely chuckled and responded that he understood before heading over to his desk. Kaname followed to sit at hers as well, when a rather loud grumbling came from behind her. "Sousuke?"

"I never got my granola bar…" he whined before he brought his head down hard on his desk. _'Whiner,'_ she thought as she began to dig through her school bag. The remainder of the time before class was spent uneventfully, as Kaname made sure her notes were in order and Sousuke just lay there like a lump on a log until the warning bell alerted all students to report for class.

They had woken up later than expected, and once seated on the train they realized that they hadn't eaten any breakfast. It hadn't helped that somehow Kaname had lost track of where her bra had gotten to, forcing them to search high and low for the missing garment. Somehow beyond all reasoning, it had been pushed in between the couch cushions, and Kaname had smacked Sousuke somethin' fierce when he held it up and then remarked about how he had also found five hundred yen. Glancing over her shoulder, he still had his head flat out on his desk. _'Idiot,'_ she thought as she remembered how much more interested he had sounded when had located the yen instead of her bra. Though, when the memory of waking up next to him came back to her, she'd never felt more at peace before. At least until they had spotted the alarm clock.

Hearing the door slide open, Kaname felt a chill run up her spine as Kyoko, Maya, and Ryo stepped into the room. Each had an absolutely scheming look on their faces, the very air around the three girls crackling with determination. Turning around, Sousuke was still playing dead on his desk; the only sign that he was still alive was the continuous grumbling from his empty stomach. It was the boy's only defense against frightening women. The three girls approached slowly, as if purposely instilling fear in their prey. Kaname's pulse sped up, hoping beyond all reason that _anything_ could deter her friends from attempting to interrogate the current status of her relationship out of her. As if on cue, Kagurazaka-sensei entered the classroom and announced that class would start immediately after roll call, and that students should take their seats. _'THANK YOU!!! THERE __**IS**__ A GOD!!!'_ Turning around to shake her boyfriend back into the land of the living, Kaname reasoned that they only needed to finish their tests before Kyoko, Maya, and Ryo. After that, they could run back to the station, stop at their apartments to pack, and head out to the airfield before any of the girls could catch up to them. Glancing over to the windows, she wondered if blasting their way out of the classroom would have been just as effective as when they had blasted their way in.

A folded note landed near her hand, interrupting her thoughts of a dramatic escape. Cautiously looking around to see if anyone noticed the note, Kaname hunched over the folded paper to read it. _Kaname, forget stopping at our apartments…too risky…if I'm able, I can ask for a restroom pass and use that time to contact Takanaka…he can take us straight to the air field once we finish our tests…our only challenge will be getting to the front gate _Trying to remain inconspicuous, Kaname took her pencil and wrote a quick reply. _What about our clothes and stuff? _Faking a stretch, she quietly dropped the note back on his desk. Kagurazaka-sensei began handing out the tests, requesting that everyone remain quiet until they were finished and had exited the classroom. Kaname noticed that as Kyoko turned to hand the test paper to the boy sitting behind her, there was a very sly smile on her face. It was almost as if she could see right through her, and Kaname wondered for a moment if Sousuke could also feel the other girls scrutinizing gaze on them.

The plan he'd concocted sounded good enough, but there was still the fact that they would both need to finish their tests before the three girls did. Kaname knew they could avoid Kyoko's inquisition, Maya would probably lose interest halfway through and just head home if nobody mentioned anything, the only other threat was Ryo. She'd maintained an A- average in Math class since the start of the year, and unfortunately she was also a terrible gossip. As an afterthought, Kaname was just glad that none of this had reached Mizuki. _'She's a great friend and all, but damn she can be relentless when she wants to know something,' _she thought.

Kaname received the test papers from the student in front of her, and as Sousuke was passed his, he slipped the note back into her hand. _'That boy is far too clever for his own good,'_ she thought. _'Maybe I could talk him into giving me a few pointers, at least then I could get out of Kyoko's inquisitions a little easier.' _Once everyone had handed back the extra test sheets, Kagurazaka-sensei gave the word to begin the test. After she was sure everyone was focused on the papers in front of them, Kaname opened the note. _I have clothing there already…we can just buy you new ones when we get there…I will hurry to finish and meet you in front the student council room _Kaname felt a little uncomfortable at having him buy her a whole extra wardrobe for her, but at the same time, she really didn't want to argue with it. Wasn't it every girl's dream to have their boyfriends buy them lots of stuff?

Coming up with a brilliant plan, Kaname wrote back that she would have to thank him properly when they got to the airfield. She folded the paper carefully and slipped it into her eraser sleeve, checking that Kagurazaka-sensei wasn't looking in her direction; she slowly reached behind her without turning and left the eraser on his desk. Unsure of how he would be able to respond now that the test had begun, her worries were put to rest when the only response she got was a light squeeze on her right shoulder. Knowing without a doubt they could accomplish anything they set their minds to, Kaname took a deep breath and finally started her Math test.

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Kaname's stomach rumbled as she walked with Sousuke through the Los Angeles International Airport. The long flight hadn't really bothered her; it was the jetlag that really sucked. Even though they had slept through a large part of the near fifteen hour flight, both teenagers felt a little grouchier than usual. Kaname's jaw had hit the floor when she had first sighted the private jumbo jet they would be taking, and was further impressed by the plush seats they sat in. The whole flight felt like she was riding in one of those luxury recliners she often saw in magazines. When she had asked, Sousuke explained that it was mostly used for transporting company executives to their transcontinental meetings, and considering how extravagant the interiors were it instantly made perfect sense. The morning had been an obstacle in itself, now as the two of them walked down the long hallway toward the pick-up area; the only question left was whether or not they wanted to wait until they reached the villa in Malibu before finding something to eat.

Sousuke had finished his test relatively quickly, but as he walked to the front to set in on Kagurazaka-sensei's desk, Kaname noticed Ryo standing to bring up hers as well. When he had leaned over to take his school bag, he'd told her to find him in the student council storage closet. Ryo had turned in her paper and noticed the slight hesitation as he whispered to Kaname, grabbing her bag, Kaname could see her trying to remain calm as she walked over to the doorway. Sousuke had just finished closing it behind him when he made a mad dash for the student council room. Thankfully he had been able fool Ryo by making sure she witnessed the door to the boy's restrooms swinging shut. While his escape from the gossip-fueled girls had been successful, Kaname had had a bit more of a challenge. She hadn't factored in that Kyoko might have actually studied the night before.

Realizing that it would seem suspicious, Kaname waited the few extra seconds for Kyoko to get to the door with her school bag. After the door had closed, Kaname spotted that sly look on her best friends face again. To her surprise though, the torturing questions never came. Instead she had merely said that she only wanted one answer, was she happy? A bit taken back at first, the simple question only served to remind Kaname of why Kyoko was her best friend to begin with. After a giant hug and assuring the other girl that she was happier than she had ever been, they went to go and tack down Kaname's wayward boyfriend. He had been a little nervous when Kaname had shown up with Kyoko in tow, but relaxed when the smaller girl told him that she wouldn't pester him again. Although, Kaname had to contain her laughter when Kyoko performed a total 180 and threatened him that if he should EVER hurt her, she would make sure he wished he was never born by the time she was done with him. Once he had realized that he was safe, he stood and made sure Kyoko understood that he would simply do his best. After that, it had been all downhill. They had decided to stop at Kaname's apartment anyway, and after she had packed, they were off to the air field.

_______________________________________________________________________

"Kaname?"

"Huh? Yeah Sousuke?"

"Did you want a snack or anything before we leave? It'll be about an hour's ride to Malibu." Before she could respond though, a loud grumble came from her stomach, breaking the momentary silence around them. Feeling a little embarrassed, a light tint came across her cheeks.

"I guess I should have something to hold me until dinner," she confessed. The light breeze in the luggage area blowing her skirt as she waited by the long luggage belt gave her a slight chill, reminding her that it was only a matter of time before she could enjoy a nice hot shower. "By the way Sousuke, is there already food there or should we go out until we get some more?"

"I'm not sure Kaname, but there's a pretty good place nearby if there isn't." Spotting her suitcase, he took it for her, making Kaname blush slightly at the sweet gesture. Still not quite used to the royal treatment, Kaname was further surprised to see a somewhat heavy-set man in a suit holding a sign with their last names on it waiting for them at the bottom of the escalators. Kaname still wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to the massive changes she'd noticed since Sousuke showed up in the first place, but she was only too happy to learn if it meant they could finally be together. "Nice to see you again Mr. Hunter. I'm glad my call got through alright. Kaname, this is Gavin Hunter, one of the driver's my father's company employs."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Chidori. Mrs. Sagara has said wonderful things about you." Blushing once more, Kaname quietly responded with a hand shake and 'thank you'. Shortly after, Kaname was treated to her first In-n-Out burger, and sadly remarked that it was too bad they didn't have a stand in Tokyo. It was just after 5pm when they finally merged onto the highway, and the traffic on the I-105 had been a little thick. Considering that it was about the time when people would be getting off of work for the day, it was more than understandable that traffic would be a little crazy. During the near two hour long ride, the two teenagers had fallen asleep in the back seat of the large SUV, the jetlag having caught up with them more than they had originally thought. After arriving and putting their travel items away, Sousuke offered Kaname what she would consider one of the greatest things in her world: full use of the huge whirlpool bathtub in the master bedroom. With a happy squeal and lightning fast hugs and kisses, she was already halfway there by the time the poor boy recovered from her loving onslaught.

Finally settled in the oversized bathtub, Kaname leaned back to enjoy the soothing heat from the underwater jets. The heated water helping her to relax and ease her overworked muscles, she had to fight to stay awake against the calm that swept over her. After finding the soap and a nearby loofah, Kaname began to wash herself while taking in her surroundings. Polished white granite tiles covered the floors with small crystal blue rectangular tiles separating the larger ones. Royal blue towels hung from the nearby pristine white wall, and a his-and-hers sink set was at the far left next to a well lit vanity with a blue cushioned chair. The lower part of the nearby glass walled shower was frosted with a bamboo design, and the window next to the tub was framed by dyed curtains that held various shades of blue with silver woven into the fabric. Matching blue and silver bathmats lay out in front of the shower door and the tub, while small blue crystals hung from the top window frame, catching the light of the fading day in spectacular rainbows. All in all, Kaname had to admit it was a gorgeously decorated bathroom. _'Yuki-san must have wonderful taste,'_ she though as she grabbed hold of one of the plush blue towels. Glancing at the master bedroom from her spot on the bath mat, it too was bathed in different shades of blue and white with silver accents. The feeling within both rooms radiated with a cooled sense of tranquility, and Kaname could tell that this was a place where one was meant to do nothing more than relax.

Once dried off, she put on her dark blue Capri pants and bright pink tank top, making sure she turned off the lights and that the faucet wasn't dripping. Feeling completely refreshed she ventured out to find where Sousuke had hidden himself. After wandering through what felt like at least four other bedrooms, Kaname found him fast asleep on the dark brushed leather couch in the living room. He'd changed while she had been in the tub, and now lay curled up in a white t-shirt and dark green sweatpants. _'He looks so young when he's asleep,'_ she mused. _'Almost childlike.' _Unable to resist, she brushed away the hair that had fallen over his face. Deciding to let him rest for a while, Kaname found her way to the kitchen and started looking through the fridge to find something light to snack on. Not finding much, she grabbed a small bag of pretzel sticks and some onion dip, making sure to grab two glasses of water before heading back to the living room just in case Sousuke wanted one when he woke up. As she let Sousuke nap, she flipped channels until deciding on 'Back to the Future' on AMC.

Almost absently, Kaname wished she could go back in time and talk to herself. Knowing what she did now, she still felt regretful that she had never taken any initiative when it concerned how she felt about Sousuke. She also wondered just what her reaction might have been like if she had told herself what her future was going to be like. Although, with more consideration, she probably would have screamed that she was crazy and told Sousuke to report the imposter to Mithril HQ. Glancing over at his sleeping form, Kaname still couldn't quite believe that they had found each other again. Feeling a familiar warm feeling in her chest, she decided to focus on more positive things, like the last twenty-four hours.

Thoughts of that last heated night in Tokyo between them, made a light blush come across her cheeks. Thinking back, Kaname realized that he had let her guide them that night. Letting her set the pace for everything, and never once being too forceful. The brief memory of his breathless expression as they lay sprawled together under his sheets only deepened the pink on her face, and made her chance another look at the sleeping young man on the couch. Forgetting about the movie she had put on the television, Kaname moved over to kiss him while he slept. At first it was only a light brush of her mouth, feeling a bit braver she moved a little closer to put more pressure, the warm heat rising inside her belly again.

She was a little surprised when she felt him respond, but her smile only glowed when she pulled back and saw the complete contentment on his face. His still sleepy grey irises reflecting everything he felt for her made her knees feel weak, and Kaname was glad she was sitting on the floor so she didn't lose her balance standing. "Sorry. Guess I dozed off while waiting for you." Kaname smiled at his still scratchy voice, turning to grab the other glass of water for him from the coffee table. Giggling as he practically chugged the whole drink, he patted the space next to him after he set the glass back down on the table. Literally crawling up from the floor, she leaned in as he wrapped his arms around her and planted a light kiss to the top of her head.

"Don't worry Sousuke; you can make it up to me later."

"And what might my sentence be?" Running a hand up his thigh she squeezed the muscle lightly and turned up to kiss under his chin. A light gasp of breath came from him as she brushed her lips across his throat, smiling when she could feel his skin warm to her touch.

"I'm sure I can think of something."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**

"Kaname, Kaname come on, wake up." With a growl she swatted Sousuke's hand away from her shoulder. Still, she couldn't say she didn't deserve a little pestering. Completely forgetting about the movie that she had put on the night before, she'd started teasing him. A simple touch here and a well placed kiss there had produced an almost feral look in his eyes when he finally figured out what she had been doing. Her punishment? Well, she couldn't really consider it a punishment at all. He'd made very sure that she spent the majority of their first night in Malibu practically screaming his name, and besides, a real punishment wasn't supposed to be enjoyed _that_ much right? Although the after effects, mainly her slightly scratchy throat and jellied muscles, were well worth the ecstasy coated torture.

At the moment though, Kaname was trying desperately to bury her head beneath the warmth of his comforter. The first time he'd called to her, she had glanced at the clock with a rising anger. It was 5:30 in the morning! Low blood pressure be damned, Kaname Chidori was a girl who valued her sleep! Especially after that amazing night that left them both slightly sweaty, completely satiated, and gasping for breath, Kaname was not in the mood to be woken up earlier than she felt was necessary. Flinching at the cold rush of air that hit her as he yanked off the comforter, she sat up quickly and could swear she felt the flames of her anger licking at her skin. "What the hell do you want at _5:30_ in the morning Sousuke!?" His calm demeanor only served to aggravate her further, and if he didn't come up with something good soon, Melissa just might find herself an only child.

"Hurry and get dressed Kaname, there's something I want to show you. Oh, and make sure you wear pants that you can roll up okay?" Still grumbling about idiotic boyfriends and their air headed schemes, Kaname managed to stumble her way over to the bathroom to fix her hair and get dressed. After somehow managing to will herself awake, Kaname wandered downstairs to find Sousuke with a large duffle bag at his feet. Judging by what he was wearing, a pair of slightly baggy cargo shorts and a blue tribal shirt with a sleeveless grey and white hoodie and grey pair of Vans sneakers, she determined that whatever he had planned this early in the morning couldn't be too excruciating. "Ready Kaname?"

"Uh, sure Sousuke. Just what are you planning anyway? Did it really have to be so early in the morning?"

"Just trust me Kaname. I promise that if you don't like it, you may hit me as much as you like until you feel proper retribution has been done. Alright?" A brief sigh and an 'okay' was all he was able to drag out of her at the moment, and once he'd grabbed the bag and a nearby key ring, they locked up the villa and headed out.

To Kaname's surprise, Sousuke apparently not only had his license, but also had three cars available in the garage. She was slightly confused though when he walked right by all three of them and headed straight to the back behind the SUV. Curious, she followed a few steps behind, and was surprised when something large, round, and shiny came at her from where he had gone. "Put this on Kaname. Let me know if you need help." Finally getting a better look at it, Kaname realized it was a thickly padded helmet. Her questions never got the chance to leave her mouth though. When she looked over to him as he raised the garage door, her jaw dropped as she spied the impressive motorcycle behind him.

"S-Sousuke? What is that?"

"This is my motorcycle Kaname. I left it here because of the steep vehicle taxes in Tokyo. Since you're here, I'd like to officially introduce you to Al."

"Al?" _'Come on now, you __**can't**__ be serious…'_

"Yes. Al is a custom Honda Shadow. This model is called the 'Spirit 750', and it's one of the most reliable motorbikes available on the road today. It's also the only one that has this unique coloring, as they normally come in red, black, or silver. I know every inch of this bike, and have been the only one to work on it since I received it for my sixteenth birthday." Taking a closer look at the machine behind him, Kaname could definitely see some extraordinary similarities. The paint was an almost pearlescent white with thick metallic blue trim. The Honda insignia, as well as the model type were printed on the side of the front tank in a bright glittering green, and the chrome was polished to a perfect shine. The seats had been done in deep navy blue leather, and had another bright green Honda insignia sewn into the rear of the cushion. Walking around it to get a better look, Kaname almost keeled over at the sight of what was printed on the small California license plate. _'Figures,'_ she thought sarcastically. _'I really should be used to stuff like this by now.'_ Staring back at her from the rear end of the bike was 'ARX-007'.

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As it turned out, Kaname was almost glad the Sousuke had ripped her out of bed so early. Though the landscape still had the shadows of the night covering them as they rode down the highway, the sky was brightening into a beautiful array of colors. After he had pulled over and secured the bike, Kaname got a better look at her surroundings. The tide was still low, but the waves in the distance had already begun to break into small roaring tubes. Not far from where he had parked was a huge painted welcome sign, and a small brick building with restroom and shower signs on the sides. "Welcome to Zuma Beach Kaname. If you want, before we leave Malibu I can show you how to surf." Replying with an interested 'maybe', she took his offered hand as they walked down to the shore. Later, Kaname found out what the importance of getting up so early had been. Sousuke had wanted to take her to look for seashells on the beach during the low tide. He'd called them free souvenirs, and Kaname made sure to look for special ones to take back for Kyoko and the others. He'd also packed their bag with sandals for both of them, and promised her a special breakfast when they were ready.

After spending a few hours near the surf, and building the world's most pathetic looking sand castle, they decided to finally go get some breakfast. When Kaname had asked where they were headed, Sousuke just smiled and told her to be patient. Normally this would have been enough to start her anger up, but with the pleasant time on the beach and the exhilarating ride on his motorcycle, she honestly couldn't find it in her to care. Kaname admired the vast shoreline as they sped down the highway, tightening her hold on him whenever it felt as if they were going too fast. After about a twenty minute ride, they pulled up to a nice looking beach-side restaurant. "Gladstone's?"

"Trust me Kaname; no visit to Southern California is complete without a trip to Gladstone's. It's some of the best seafood on the west coast, and since you've already tried In-n-Out, I thought you should stop here as well." Kaname giggled at the way he seemed so excited over useless trivia. _'No matter what timeline, you never change do you Sousuke?'_

"Sousuke, if you keep spoiling me like this I'm not really sure what I'll do." Moving back over to her, he bent to give her a slow and meaningful kiss. A light blush spread on her cheeks at the emotions that flowed behind his silvered gaze, feeling as though she could drown in them. So lost in each other's eyes, the sounds of the highway and the surf seemed to be drowned out.

"If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand." Kaname's blush only increased at the beautiful words that poured from the lips she'd just kissed. Even with the ground beneath her feet, she felt almost as if she was floating on air. The morning's salty sea breeze continued playing with her hair as they stood quietly in the parking lot. "You've given me so much Kaname; won't you permit me to give back what I can?" Unable to even think of a single response, Kaname just quietly nodded. With another soft kiss, time seemed to move around them once again, and after another moment of blissful silence between the two, she felt him take hold of her hand to lead her inside.

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Finished with breakfast, they headed back into the heart of the city along the coastal highway. Kaname had asked if he knew anywhere that they could shop or walk around for a while, and Sousuke replied that he knew the perfect place. Sousuke then took her down to the Malibu Country Mart, and after some reassurance that the money wouldn't be a problem, Kaname started to loosen up a bit. It had all been shocking to her when she had looked at the first price tag for a skirt she liked in the Encore shop. She could have sworn she felt her jaw hit the floor upon learning that it cost almost one-hundred-twenty dollars, and she had been even more shocked that Sousuke had acted like it was worth no more than ten.

A little after that, and Kaname was beginning to be able to enjoy both the beautiful weather and the diverse items littered within the shops. On Sousuke's insistence, she had been fitted for a Juicy Couture tracksuit, which she had later realized just how fabulous she looked in it. She'd chosen one made of powder blue velvet with light pink trim, and on the back of the jacket was stitched 'Queen Couture'. He'd disappeared for a short while when she was trying on some tops in L'Occtaine, but reappeared when she had found some items she liked. They shared some sweets at the K-Chocolatier shop before deciding to find somewhere for an early dinner. Wanting to keep things casual, not to mention that Sousuke would need some ibuprophen after being convinced, they were seated on the second floor of Taverna Tony restaurant giving them a view of the outdoor picnic and garden area.

After finishing dinner, Kaname wandered through the shops with the intent of finding souvenirs for her friends back in Tokyo. She had also convinced Sousuke that he should participate with the search as well, but when he argued, she simply reminded him that they were his friends as well and put an end to a useless argument. The breeze had begun to cool as the sun sunk lower in the sky, and Kaname hadn't realized how much they had purchased until she looked between the bags and the extremely limited room on the motorcycle. But before she could become distressed, Sousuke whipped out his cell phone and contacted Mr. Hunter. Thankfully the driver arrived within minutes, and before they knew it, their bags had been packed up and they were back on the road.

As they rode, Kaname noticed that Mr. Hunter had turned down onto the correct street, but Sousuke had kept going. "Hey Sousuke!" she yelled over the fierce winds blowing in the faces. "You missed the turn!"

"No I didn't Kaname! Mr. Hunter is taking our bags home, but we have one last stop before then!" The bike flowed through the twists in the road, and almost absently Kaname noticed that the sun would be set within an hour or so. They rode for about another ten minutes before pulling up to a building surrounded by crowds of people. Loud booming music could be heard from the outside, and it seemed as though everyone was desperate to get into the building. Pulling up to the front, they were greeted by two large bouncers. Their size alone was making Kaname feel a little unnerved, until one of them asked them in a loud booming voice if they were on the list. Glancing over, Sousuke didn't seem shaken by their presence in the least. _'Well,'_ she thought. _'Some things will never change I suppose.' _Holding her hand, he walked right up to the two giant men and flashed his ID card. The two men then did a complete turnaround, as their demeanors changed from imposing to one of helpful security.

"Welcome back Mr. Sagara. Enjoy your night sir."

"Thank you, after you Kaname." Settling his hand on her lower back, he guided her through the large doors behind the two equally large men. There was a small reception-like area with a place for souvenirs and a front staff entrance, the entire room covered in variances of black, grey and white. Guiding her over past the cashier's station, Kaname hesitantly opened the long black velvet curtain in the doorway. Bright flashing colored lights, strobe lights, and loud music flooded down from the ceiling. Long mirrors and neon lights were planted on some sections of the walls, and the floor was broken up into at least eight different platform sections, each with different colored light tiles. Feeling as if her eyes would pop out of her head, Kaname looked back at Sousuke; still unbelieving that he even would know about places like this. Raising her voice to talk over the music, she asked him just where they were. "This is Kloud9. It's a club I used to come to with Melissa and Kurz when we stayed here! It's alright; the minimum age is sixteen, and they're very strict about disturbances!" The bright moving lights and loud dance music taking effect, as Kaname was unable to stop an excited smile that sprang to her face. Bringing his face closer so he didn't have to yell, he asked if she wanted to stay.

"Sousuke of course I do! This place is amazing!"

"I was hoping you'd like it. I checked on things before I woke you up this morning, its 80's night. We should have some good music tonight." Practically running onto the nearest dance floor, the loud dance music compelled her to just move with it. Synthesizers, deep beats and flashing colors penetrated everything as they danced. Songs from Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Phil Collins, Taylor Dayne and Bananarama pounded through the air as the multitudes of people danced. It wasn't until then that she realized exactly why Yuki-san had taken the time to burn Sousuke a copy of some of his performances to show off; the boy moved as if he didn't have any bones! What amazed Kaname most of all though, was that he made it easy for her to keep up with him. The only thing that made it that much better was that she was able to pick out all of the girls nearby that wished they could steal her partner. Of course, since she had noticed all of the jealous women, she was more than sure that he would have noticed the few men that were staring at her as well. It only made it obvious when she felt his grip on her tighten, making her smile at his possessive side.

They must have been there for at least three hours, lost in the songs that poured from the speakers. At one point they had to stop though, both completely out of breath and craving something to drink. Stopping by the bar, he got them two bottles of water before guiding her to one of the table areas. What little furniture was there was decorated in black leather and decorated with white and various designs in bright neon colors. The tables were black wrought iron with a colored neon light on the inside rim, making the glass tops seem to glow different colors. "Sousuke this place is incredible! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Simple, it would have ruined the surprise." Taking a long drink from the water bottle, he set it back down and took her hand. "Besides, making you happy is something I want to do." Unsure if he could see her deep blush from under the multicolored lights, she leaned in to kiss him, the cool taste of the water they drank still present. Hearing the next song start up, Kaname recognized it and asked him if he was ready for more. "How could I ever say no to you?"

"Easy," replied Kaname. "You can't, and you know you don't want to." Pulling him back out onto one of the lighted dance floors, she let him lead as the music drowned out everything else around them. _'Kind of ironic I would hear this song,' _she thought as he spun her. _'Maybe I should take this as an omen or something. Sousuke did offer to have us visit New York anyway. Though I wonder if there truly could be anything Father could find fault with Sousuke.' _A flash of a sour expression came across her face, but she thankfully covered it back up before he noticed. _'Well, there is the whole 'sex before marriage' thing, but like hell Father was a complete angel before he was with Mom. Besides, what he doesn't know won't hurt me.'_ Deciding to think more on it later, Kaname cleared her thoughts as the music rang through the club once more.

Papa I know you're going to be upset  
'Cause I was always your little girl  
But you should know by now  
I'm not a baby

You always taught me right from wrong  
I need your help, daddy please be strong  
I may be young at heart  
But I know what I'm saying

The one you warned me all about  
The one you said I could do without  
We're in an awful mess, and I don't mean maybe - please

Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep  
Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep  
But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, oh  
I'm gonna keep my baby

He says that he's going to marry me  
We can raise a little family  
Maybe we'll be all right  
It's a sacrifice

But my friends keep telling me to give it up  
Saying I'm too young, I ought to live it up  
What I need right now is some good advice, please

Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep  
Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep  
But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, oh  
I'm gonna keep my baby

Daddy, daddy if you could only see  
Just how good he's been treating me  
You'd give us your blessing right now  
'Cause we are in love, we are in love, so please

Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep  
Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep  
But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, oh  
I'm gonna keep my baby

Oh, I'm gonna keep my baby, ooh  
Don't you stop loving me daddy  
I know, I'm keeping my baby

It had been another two hours before they left the club for the night, both of them thoroughly exhausted after the long eventful day. Thankfully, Sousuke had been content to just lay with her in his arms that night. Kaname couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun in just a single day, and she was thankful that she had agreed to come with Sousuke to California. Due to all the energy they had spent the day before; they woke up late that morning and decided to take their time getting ready for the day. Heading out in one of the SUVs, Sousuke had loaded two of his surfboards on top and Kaname had packed a picnic lunch for the two of them. Once they had their things set up on the shore, Sousuke had Kaname sit in front of the extra surfboard, making sure she understood the reasons behind waxing it and making sure it felt balanced. He was in good spirits that day, as the tide was producing a large number of waves that would be suitable for both practice and performing a few tricks.

Kaname was surprised that he was so patient with her, and never got upset whenever she felt she was asking a dumb question. After swimming out on the boards, they waited for a nice swell to build up. Telling her to wait and watch to get a feel for it, Sousuke swam out to catch the next wave while Kaname watched from on top of her board. Making sure to watch carefully to see how it was done, Kaname noticed how confident he seemed. _'It's like nothing can disturb him out here,' _she thought as she watched him take off into the wave. She watched intently as he carved a trail along the forming tube to gather some speed; a gasp surfacing as she watched him pull off an aerial flip before riding along with the water, dragging his hand along the water's smoothed surface. He glided back to the shore as the force of the wave began to die out, and Kaname's mouth was still slightly agape after he had paddled his way back over to her. Giggling as he shook his head fiercely to let loose most of the water, she stopped when she spotted a nasty looking scar on the lower right side of his abdomen. Idly, she noticed that it was in the same place he would have been hit with AS shrapnel from saving her in North Korea. "Sousuke, what's that from?"

"Oh this? It's just a shark bite Kaname."

"WHAT!?"

"Just a simple shark bite, it wasn't as bad as the scar makes it look Kaname."

"B-But Sousuke…"

"I promise Kaname, it wasn't that bad. I'm not going to lie and say that it didn't hurt like a fucking bitch when it happened, but when the doctors made sure it stopped bleeding and I wasn't infected, they said it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The majority of it was superficial, as no major arteries or organs had been damaged. From what they could conclude, it was probably just a curious shark that figured out I wasn't as tasty as he thought I was going to be." Despite his calm and almost indifferent recollection of the event, Kaname's eyes felt as if they were nearly bugged out of her skull.

"So w-what happened?"

"We were on vacation in Bermuda one summer. My Father had to stay in the hotel room for a meeting via webcam, so Mom, Melissa, and I went down to have some fun while he was busy. I remember it was maybe two or three in the afternoon, and I just caught a really nice wave. I underestimated the speed though and got caught in the tube before I could pull out. I wiped out big time, and that's when I felt it happen. It was really painful, but it had happened so fast I wasn't sure if I hit part of the reef while I was under or not. When I came back up to the shore holding my side, that's when Mel saw all the blood and started screaming for an ambulance. According to the doctors, they guessed by the markings that it was probably a Caribbean Reef Shark." Kaname never noticed the small rivers of tears that were spilling down her cheeks until he leaned over to wipe some of them away. "Don't worry Kaname, most sharks don't want anything to do with humans, and there have been a few surfers out there who've never been bitten; even after years of doing it."

"I-I'm not so sure anymore Sousuke."

"You'll be just fine Kaname. Besides, if the worst happens, the sharks will just have to learn what I have."

"What's that?"

"Don't bother trying to kill her; it'll just make her mad." Hearing him laugh at the small joke about her, she punched him in the shoulder; still wiping away some of the tears from her face. Still slightly worried, but feeling a little more relaxed; Sousuke went over a few things like keeping her balance and how to maintain her speed. After watching him catch a few more, she felt ready to try. Helping her find a good swell, they swam out to meet the rising wave. Kaname started out a little shaky, but once she got her momentum going, she was amazed at just how exciting it was. The spray of the water as she glided along the surface was refreshing, and the loud crash of the wave behind her made her feel as if she was the one causing the great splash. Feeling like she would lose her footing, Kaname managed to pull herself out of it before tipping herself into the water. Thankfully, the ankle leash kept her attached to the board and helped her to find her way back to the surface. Pulling herself back onto the board, she floated patiently while Sousuke finished his run. "So did you like it Kaname?"

"Yeah, it was really fun. I did wipe out pretty bad though."

"Don't worry so much, you're just a beginner. I've been doing this since I was twelve, but even now I still get tossed around sometimes, so just take things in stride okay?" Deciding to try a few more times, Kaname found out that she really enjoyed doing it. Apparently because she had good balance, half the work was already done for her, and she would be able to concentrate more on keeping up her speed and attempting a trick or two. They finally got out for a while when they started to prune, and once the blanket had been fixed, they had some of the lunch she had packed.

A few more hours were spent happily alternating between the sand and the surf before they both decided that they had gotten enough sun for the day. Loading up the boards and the rest of their stuff, Sousuke pulled the SUV out of the parking lot and headed back toward the villa. While Kaname was enjoying her last night in the whirlpool tub, Sousuke left to pick their order at a nearby California Pizza Kitchen and a few videos from the Blockbuster on the corner. Unfortunately, after they had eaten and settled on the couch to watch The Matrix, they both fell asleep before the end. Both had been completely oblivious to how tired they really were, and remained tangled on the couch the remainder of the night.

"Will you look at that Mel? Absolutely precious isn't it?" Kurz joked quietly, not wanting to yet wake the younger teens that slept soundly on the couch.

"So sweet it might give me cavities. Where the fuck is Dad's camera when I need it, am I right?" Both laughed quietly as they loomed over the back of the couch. They had arrived not forty-five minutes earlier, and had been in the process of making their way to said couch to have some 'horizontal fun', when the sound of the Matrix's DVD menu had broken the silence around their heavy breathing. When Melissa had discovered her younger brother wrapped around his girlfriend, dead asleep on the couch with his hand under her shirt, she couldn't stop the raging smile that had plastered itself on her face. "So; should we wake them up?"

"All for it babe. Any ideas on how to make it special?"

"You better believe it! Keep watch until I get back. This is gonna be _so_ wrong!" Kurz tried not to laugh with her as she quietly made her way up the stairs to her room. The completely devious smile she wore had shivers going up his spine in anticipation. Kurz had always loved playing pranks on friends and family alike, but to pull a good one on your girlfriend's little brother had always felt just that much better! Still trying to suppress his laughter, he spotted Melissa as she tip-toed back down the stairs.

"So what's the verdict?"

"Check it!" Turning the disc in her hand, Kurz was able to recognize her copy of Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory. Padding softly over to the stereo system, she turned down the television and adjusted the sound so that it would come out as nothing more than a whisper. Setting the disc in the player, she selected the song and turned to look over her shoulder. "You might want to find a better spot for this hun, my bet is that Sousuke's gonna flip right over where you're standing." She waited until Kurz moved across the room to lean on the back of the love seat before pushing play. Patiently waiting for the right moment, Melissa's hand rested carefully on the volume dial. When the perfect second came, she gave the dial a quick twist and raised it to almost full power just in time for the chorus to blast from the speakers

Crawling in my skin  
These wounds they will not heal  
Fear is how I fall  
Confusing what is real

The initial blast acted like a tangible force, as Kaname went spiraling backwards with a powerful scream, only to land with a grand thud on the cold tile floor in front of the couch. Spurned by her scream, Sousuke's eyes flew open, but had yet to focus. Using the arm and leg that was under her, he had somehow pushed himself vertically in the air, only to come down hard on the back end of the couch. After his sudden landing, he had lost whatever balance he may have had and fell face down onto the unforgiving tile, landing on yesterday's picnic supplies, two pairs of sneakers, and the large folded umbrella. Both Melissa and Kurz couldn't take it, and were both grabbing their stomachs to help alleviate the pain of their powerful laughter. When Kaname's adrenalin had begun to slow down, her anger began to flare. Glancing behind her, Sousuke also had a look that promised retribution for his elder sister and her boyfriend, who were currently rolling on the tile laughing. "Sousuke, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Charlie Foxtrot, Kaname?"

"Don't need to tell me twice," she replied menacingly. Both of them were staring promises of death at the college students that were doubled over in laughter at their expense. "Shall we then?"

"We shall," he said quietly. Melissa and Kurz's laughter was starting to die down. Though all they would need to do was look at the two teenagers, the dark clouds of hatred were gathering fast around them both. As Melissa was helping Kurz to stand upright, they both then heard two simultaneous roars behind them.

"WE'RE GONNA *&%$#! KILL YOU!!!

**So there you have it! I just couldn't keep Melissa and Kurz away for long; and when I saw something similar on MTV the other day, I knew just how to bring them back with a literal bang! I really didn't mean for this one to be long, but there was a lot of stuff to cover. There's only two more days to go over until we navigate down to Newport, and that means it's only two more days until Tessa shows up! Thanks again to everyone for all the reviews; you've all been so cool to me!**

**I would try citing everything I put into this chapter, but since there was so much of it, I'll just make it easy on me. The only thing that was made up was Club Kloud9. Every other location and detail was carefully researched to be as accurate as possible, so I hope that made it fun! I'll be starting the next part ASAP, so I'll see you soon! **


	13. Chapter 13

**So yeah, I finally finished my other fic, and I can now focus on getting this one done! Hopefully I'll be able to finish this one as easily as I did the other. _Easily _I said, yeah right. Finishing the other one was a literal grammatical nightmare!! Oh well, it was fun either way. Anyway, please enjoy some Kurz and Mao beatings as I finally catch some Zzs. Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Melissa and Kurz sat quietly in front of the dining table, facing two still very irate teenagers whom they had woken up quite rudely. They still had huge smiles stuck on their faces, and despite the rage emanating from across the table, Kurz still occasionally giggled at their obvious frustration. Kaname had lead the chase as she and Sousuke had run both of them down for a good beating. Their anger at being ripped from their peaceful dream world came out as powerful punches and painful kicks. At first, they had been going for a more gender specific route; but when Melissa started getting the upper hand on Kaname, and Kurz was taking far too many hits, they switched to even the killing field. A good thirty minutes later, both sides started losing steam and finally retreated to sit at the dining table in order to collect themselves.

"So, how's my favorite baby brother doing?"

"I hate you."

"Aw, we love you too little man."

"Shut up Kurz." Both Kaname and Sousuke sat quietly across from them with arms crossed, and threw deadly gazes on the two college students. The only thing fueling their anger now was that the two across from them still had gigantic goofy smiles still on their faces.

"Come on Angel babe, it was all in good fu-OW! What was _that_ for Kaname?" Not able to take his feeble excuses after the prank they had just pulled, Kaname had thrown the closest shoe at him, aiming right for his nose. Hitting it right in the center of his face with the heel, Kaname was starting to feel a little better.

"If you have to ask, you'll never know Kurz." Standing, she brushed off her t-shirt and shorts from the day before and reached up to test her hair. _'Ugh, I need a bath,'_ she realized when she felt the greasy feeling running through her fingers. "Well, there's not much left to beat out of the two of you so I'm done for now."

"Amen to that! I think you broke my nose."

"Oh, cry me a river ya pansy! Sousuke, I'm going up to take a bath, when I'm done I'll make us a late breakfast, then we can hit the road for the house." Seeing him nod in acknowledgment, without another word Kaname stormed up the stairs to the master bath. Shedding her clothing, she sat on the cool ceramic edge while waiting for the water to heat up. _'Idiots,'_ she thought as she ran her fingers under the faucet. _'We'll have to find a way to get back at them for that. Maybe not today though, it would be too soon, and they might be expecting it.'_ Finding the water finally hot enough, she stood to lower herself into the soothing heat. Taking a moment to turn on the jets, she ducked under to wet her hair before lying back against the still cool ceramic. Tendrils of steam rose from the surface of the water, the air around her becoming thick with moisture, forming a light sheen on her face and neck. Feeling more relaxed; Kaname closed her eyes against the warmth of the air around her and lightly dozed.

As the four cleaned up the mess that had been left out before Sousuke and Kaname had passed out on the couch, Melissa had received a call on her cell phone to tell the couple that a welcome home barbecue would be held for them the night they reached Newport. After passing the cell around so that everyone could say hello to Yuki, it finally came time for Kaname's turn. Feeling a little nervous as she took the phone from Sousuke, he told her that he would finish washing and drying the dishes, and that she could take the call in his room. Once inside, Kaname gathered up her courage to have a small one on one talk with Yuki. "Hello Yuki-san. How are things?"

"Just fine Kaname-san. Are you enjoying your time at our Malibu villa? I hope my daughter hasn't been causing too much trouble for you."

"Yeah uh, about that Yuki-san. Were you very mischievous when you were her age? Cause I swear I've never met anyone with so much energy dedicated to pulling pranks before." Kaname sat on the edge of the bed as she listened to the light laughter on the other side of the phone. _'I hope Melissa can at least give us a break when they catch up to us in Newport,' _she though as the laughter started to calm.

"Unfortunately Kaname-san, she gets her mischievous streak from her Father. I was the eldest daughter, and growing up in a more traditional family put a lot of pressure on me to always be presentable and courteous to others. Though I have to admit that it has paid off well, I would have loved to have had even half the freedom I give her."

"I know that feeling all too well Yuki-san, but even so, Melissa's just being relentless. And Kurz is _not_ helping the situation." Lying back on the bed, Kaname hadn't realized how much energy she had used helping everyone to clean up. Stifling a yawn, she continued to listen to the older woman.

"I'll have a talk with them when they arrive. But for now Kaname-san, would you permit me to ask you a personal question?"

"Sure."

"Have you slept with my son?" Kaname's breath halted as her brain struggled to process the innocent sounding question. _'Oh crap, what do I say? Should I lie? Why would she ask me this instead of asking Sousuke? What the hell do I do?!' _Sitting up straight, she gripped the comforter with her free hand as her thoughts tried to asses just what she should say.

"Uh well, we did fall asleep on the couch the other-"

"That's not what I mean Kaname-san, and I think you know that. I would rather you answer me truthfully." Kaname felt as if she was backed into a corner being stared down by that maniac Gauron. If she told the truth, would Yuki really be able to tell? Should she just say it and get it over with? Would it be better if things were out in the open like that, or would it put a strain on her relationship with Sousuke? Did Sousuke even want it to be known, for that matter? Infinite possibilities and questions were ringing through her mind; Kaname wasn't sure what she should do. It was then that a new question entered her mind. Sousuke had taken his conversation with Yuki on the front porch; if he had told her and Yuki caught her in a lie, what would she think of her then? Would she even want to permit Sousuke to keep seeing her? It was an all too real possibility that if she lied, his parents could force him to stay in the US while she went back home to Tokyo. _'I just got him back,'_ she thought as a lone tear fell down her cheek. _'To hell with it! I love him too much to lie to his Mother. If I lie to her, it's as bad as lying to his face about how I feel. I couldn't do that to him. Not to Sousuke.'_ Taking a deep breath, Kaname prepared herself for the worst just in case.

"Yuki-san?"

"Yes Kaname-san?"

"I'm hoping this doesn't make you think less of me, but yes; I have slept with Sousuke." A few more tears fell as all her hopes were put on the line. Unconsciously, Kaname held her breath as she waited for a response. Her knuckles turning white with the amount of force in which she gripped the comforter. As the silence stretched on, her shoulders began to shake, and feeling the tension bear down on her was starting to make her feel slightly nauseous.

"You realize I mean Intercourse; right Kaname-san?"

"Yes Yuki-san. I do." Tears flowed freely down her face as she waited for the final verdict. Closing her eyes tightly, she realized that it was completely in Yuki's power if she didn't want her to see Sousuke anymore. A heavy breath came out as she sobbed quietly, hoping that Yuki didn't catch the quivering sound as she had exhaled. Hearing her name, Kaname wiped away as many tears as she could before responding. "Yes Yuki-san, I'm still here."

"Thank you for being honest with me Kaname-san. I realize it must have been hard for you to trust me like that, but I have no intention of forcing anything on either of you." The weight on her shoulders suddenly lifted, and slowly the tears began to stop.

"Really Yuki-san?"

"Yes. I must admit that I was concerned when I first heard from Melissa that he had finally gotten a girlfriend, but having met you Kaname-san, I'm no longer worried. He was always a very solitary boy Kaname-san, and being as old as he was and never really taken interest in anyone before, I was starting to worry about him. It would have been a relief to even find out if he was homosexual." Her throat still choked with tears, Kaname laughed at the idea of Sousuke being gay. She couldn't help herself, and it relieved her even more when she heard Yuki laughing with her.

"I'm sorry for laughing Yuki-san."

"It's perfectly alright Kaname-san. Are you being safe about things?"

"Yes. We are Yuki-san; every time."

"Is that so? Every time you say? Well from the sound of things, maybe he's more like his Father than he realizes." The final tears drying on her face, Kaname laughed with Yuki at the joke. Though the comment was lighthearted and even helped to lift the dreary mood that had settled in the bedroom, Kaname was still a little surprised at how open Yuki was about her children growing up. She seemed to understand perfectly that sometimes things just happen, and Kaname felt her respect for the woman grow at her acceptance. Idly, she wondered if her own Mother would have been like Yuki. The two were very similar with how they treated others, and she couldn't help but feel as if Yuki hoped that she would end up becoming more to her son than just his girlfriend. "It seems I must go for now Kaname-san. I have to prepare dinner for tonight, and things must be put in order for your arrival later tonight."

"Alright. I'll see you later then Yuki-san?"

"Of course. A final question before you go, if I may Kaname-san?"

"Sure."

"Would you prefer a room of your own, or would you like to stay with Sousuke in his room?" Thinking it over a moment, Kaname smiled at the kind consideration she was being shown. Feeling even more grateful for Yuki's presence than before, Kaname cleared the last of the tears from her throat.

"I'd like to stay with Sousuke please."

Once everything had been cleaned and the bags had been loaded into one of the SUVs, the two waved goodbye to a still laughing Kurz and Melissa as they pulled out of the driveway. Wishing for one last bout of vindication, Kaname opened the moon roof and lifted herself off the seat. "K-Kaname!? What the hell are you doing!? That's dangerous!"

"Lighten up Sousuke, it's called revenge! Hey! Kurz! Melissa!" As soon as she had their attention, Kaname raised both of her hands high to flip them both off. Though only able to keep up the daring act for a few extra seconds, Kaname decided that the looks on their faces were more than worth the risk. "Heh, that was _so_ worth it!"

"Kaname if you do something that insane again I might have a heart attack. That was very dangerous."

"I know, I know. But honestly Sousuke, if you had seen their faces you would be thanking me. Besides, you've told me worse stories. Mister Prove-to-my-cousin-that-he's-being-ababy-when-he-whines-about-doing-a-belly-flop-off-the-pier." Surprised when she received silence where there should have been some sort of retort, Kaname glanced over to see a strange look on his face as he drove. "Okay, so what's with the face?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Not buyin' it Sousuke. Out with it."

"Well, I actually did see their faces."

"How? You were driving."

"This SUV has one of those rear exterior cameras so that the driver can see when backing up. I had a front row seat, so to say." Shaking her head, Kaname felt a devious grin come across her face at the clever designs of her rather unorthodox boyfriend. _'The things he comes up with sometimes…'_

"Why you sneaky little…"

"Love you too Kaname."

Thankfully since they had left relatively early in the day, the traffic was fairly light as they made their way down the coast. The normally hour and forty minute drive was cut down to just over forty-five minutes before they were able to turn into the final neighborhood. As they got closer, Kaname started to feel nervous. It was one thing to have met Yuki-san on neutral ground, but this was _her_ home. More than that, it was Sousuke's _real_ home. Somehow she felt even more nervous than when she and Kyoko were going to visit him the first time. Not realizing that she had become overly quiet, Kaname bit her lip as her fears began playing tricks on her mind. _'What if his father doesn't like me? What if he says that I can't see him anymore and sends me away? AHH! And what if just because he has final say, what if Yuki-san has to agree with him?! Oh gods what will I do?! I can't lose Sousuke again!! Not to something as simple as a father's demands!! CRAP WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!?!?'_

Pulling her from the impeding mental turmoil, Kaname felt a hand take her own, knocking her out of her ever darkening picture of self doubt. Turning her head, she was able to catch Sousuke glance at her while waiting for the red light to change. "Something's bothering you, isn't it Kaname?" Still surprised that this Sousuke could possess even a fraction of the intuitiveness that he did, Kaname took a deep breath before looking back out the wind shield.

"Yeah. I guess I'm just nervous about meeting your father. I-I…I really want him to approve of me Sousuke. I don't know what I'll do if he says he doesn't want you to see me any-" She never finished her thoughts, as he quickly leaned over to kiss her. The sounds of car horns from behind telling him that the light had changed, Sousuke quickly pulled back and moved his foot to the accelerator.

"He's not a bad man Kaname. Growing up, he was always a tough, but fair person. The only reason I have so many stories of my obvious stupidity, is because I did them behind his back. I still got caught, but by then I learned that he had been right to tell me otherwise in the first place. It's like those children who are sure they don't need to wear a helmet when riding their bikes, then end up flying over the handle bars and scratching up their stomachs on the sand and concrete."

"Speaking from experience with that one Sousuke?"

"_*Cough*_ Uh, anyway as I was saying. Would you like to know why I know for a fact that he will approve of you so easily?"

"Sure, why not."

"Mind you, we're talking about a man who has approved of Kurz Weber dating his '_sweet and innocent baby girl_'. Kurz has been dating my sister since they were juniors in high school, and apparently he's made it this far without being castrated, which personally, _I_ consider a miracle at times."

"Oh?"

"Our house was reinforced with sound dampeners. It's nearly impossible to hear a booming stereo from the room right next door. And even with that…" Kaname had to hold back the laugh that wanted to come out at the face he had just made. It was an odd combination of sick and complete dread, and she doubted she'd ever seen anybody with _that_ interesting look before. It was almost as if he was turning green and blushing at the same time!

"Sousuke?"

"Brothers are _not_ supposed to know that their sisters can make _those_ sounds Kaname. I'll just leave it at that." Though the absolutely humorous expression on his face had helped to calm her nerves somewhat, they were easily frayed again when she found the SUV was pulling up into a driveway. The house itself was nothing short of beautiful, completely covered in various pale colored lime stones and dark accents on the garage doors. It looked huge from the outside, but Sousuke had said that it was only two stories without including the attic that had been converted into a small bar area. Rows of beautiful flowers lined the driveway, and the grass on the rest of the lawn was a remarkably deep shade of green that Kaname had to wonder if it was actually real or not. "You can go ahead if you want. Mom's expecting us; and don't worry, my Father's not due home for at least another five or so hours."

"You sure you won't need help with the bags?"

"It won't be a problem."

"Okay then," Kaname waved as she walked over to the front door. Framed by two tall, thin glass windows, Kaname tentatively knocked at the large door. Hearing a faint reply, she waited, still feeling a bit nervous about being the only stranger in such a beautiful home. Finally, the door opened.

"Kaname-san! How wonderful to see you again. I hope all the traveling hasn't taken too much of a toll on you?"

"Not really, it's good to see you again too Yuki-san. Sousuke said he was taking care of our bags."

"Maybe I did teach that boy something then. Please come in, are you thirsty at all?" The two laughed as Yuki showed Kaname around the lower level of the house. Shining, pale marble tiles covered the floors with beautiful area rugs dispersed in just the right areas. The living room and kitchen were connected, and Kaname nearly balked at the size of the gargantuan television that was situated on the far wall. Plush, dark brushed leather couches sat facing the television with a glass-top coffee table, which at the moment held at least four remote controls that went to only who knew what electronic devices. The kitchen was mostly done in shades of dark green and an off white color, which only served to accent the polished brass cooking pots that hung from their place above the island for easy access.

Just down the hall was a separate sitting area with large windows that overlooked the street and part of the far side of the lawn, and from what Yuki stated, farther down from there was her husband's private home office. Kaname made sure to note that that was the room with the finger print verification, vocal recognition, and retinal scanner. _'Well, I guess if you're gonna be in the security business, it pays to have the best for yourself,' _she thought. Heading back toward the living room, Yuki brought her out to the backyard. Small patches of grass only about 10x15 were encased by a short stone wall with a reinforced wrought iron gate that opened up to their own personal beach entrance. Seeing the entire ocean just beyond the stone wall had Kaname amazed. The beach was only maybe 64 meters away from their house! "Yuki-san this view is amazing!"

"Yes, it is. Every morning has the opportunity to hunt for seashells, jog by the sea, or go for a quick swim. My dear husband truly spoiled us once the company had taken off. Though I'll admit, there was a certain charm back when he, Melissa, and I lived in our tiny one room apartment."

"So Melissa didn't always live like this then?"

"Oh, heavens no. She was only just turned two when more investors took an interest in my husbands' work. He and his two best friends from college had decided to go into business for themselves, and it took a lot of work for them to build their empire. It was hard on Sousuke and Melissa growing up with their father being so busy, but he always made it for the important times. He takes great pride in the fact that he never missed even one of his children's competitions or birthdays." Heading back inside, Yuki found Sousuke coming back down the stairs from putting the bags in his room. "Glad to have you back Sousuke. We missed you so much. It's been too quiet without you and your sister here."

"Yeah, I bet anywhere would be quiet as death without Mel to shake things up."

"In a matter of speaking." After a quick hug and a rather thorough ruffling of Sousuke's hair, Yuki turned back to Kaname. "If you two like, you can freshen up before his father comes home. Sousuke's room has it's own bathroom, so you're free to use it during your stay Kaname-san."

"Thank you."

"Though I do have one request of you two if I may?"

"Sure Mom, what's up?"

"Please hold off any intimacy until after dinner tonight. I'd rather not have to hide from your father why you were home, yet I spent these past five hours all to myself." In that instant, Kaname guessed that Sousuke must have kept their romantic developments to himself, as his face was once again making the tomatoes _quite_ jealous.

"Uh…"

"Don't worry Yuki-san. I'll keep him in check."

"I'm sure you will Kaname-san. Find me in the kitchen whenever you're ready dears." Still somewhat frozen on the bottom stairs, Kaname sauntered over and fixed Sousuke's tussled hair, the deep blush still on his face as he watched his mother retreat to the kitchen area. Giggling at how easily he was put on the spot, Kaname turned his face and gave him a quick kiss to knock him out of his embarrassment funk.

"Focus Sousuke, I need to clean up a little after that car ride, and the early morning beating took a lot out of me. So lead the way to your shower before I go looking for it myself." Once he came back to himself, Sousuke showed her up the stairs to the last door on the left. Marked with a large 'Gears of War' poster, Kaname was shocked at how his room seemed to be in such careful disarray. To the unobservant onlooker, it looked like things had been strewn about the room haphazardly, including the posters on the walls. Shelves on two of the walls held books and figures of all kinds, and a few photos scattered themselves throughout that room in odd places. Posters of movies, video games, and his favored animes covered the walls to the point that she wasn't sure what color they were underneath.

A wall mounted flat screen was hooked up to the same game systems he had back in his apartment, as well as a rolled up DDR pad that had been propped up against one of the two floor lamps he had set up. Though the bed he had in Tokyo was a king size, the one he had at home was just a queen, and it too was covered in dark sheets of red and black. A nice sized desk sat in a three window alcove, decorated with surfing trophies and other random photos of friends and family. Wandering from place to place in his room, Kaname wondered as she came across the random pictures of him at various ages, thankful that each one had a huge smile on his face. Once done, she skipped back over to hug him. "Not that I'm complaining Kaname, but what's this for?"

"For inviting me to see your home, wanting me to know more about you, and…"

"And what?"

"For just being you." A small smirk came across his face as he ran a hand through her hair. Leaning into the soft touch, Kaname lifted herself up to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck before she could fall back down to her normal height. While Kaname was able to make sure things between her and her boyfriend didn't get too out of control, for nearly forty-five minutes the temperature in the room had felt unusually warm for the sweaters they had once been wearing.

* * *

**So there you have it. Thank you to everyone who's been uber patient with me about finishing this. I'm still not really happy with the ending for this chapter, but I really needed to end it so that I could get the next one going. We've got a lot of familiar faces coming up in the next one, so I hope to have that one out as soon as I can. Still have a ways to go before the end, but I promise I'll make it good! Ja ne!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Well finally, this one is done! I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be, but I know we're getting close to an ending. Maybe another three or something would work. I don't know. Oh well, either way I hope everyone is still enjoying the crazy, messed up world I've created. Later!**

**___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
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**Chapter 13**

"Kaname-san? Could you please chop the carrots for me?"

"Sure Yuki-san," Kaname replied as she moved the bowl of cut lettuce to the sink. Making sure the water was cold enough, she left it to run as she made her way over to the pile of carrots on the thick cutting board. Taking hold of the knife, Kaname started to quickly cut the vegetables, slightly blushing as the full impact of just what was going on finally occurred to her. Not only had she just enjoyed a wonderful, albeit short, make-out session with her boyfriend in his room, now she was helping his mother to prepare the dinner that was to celebrate their visit.

'It's almost as if we were married," she thought as yet another carrot was quickly chopped and put into a nearby bowl. Her blush deepened with the thought, and she dropped her head a little lower to try and hide the growing heat in her face from Yuki as she moved about the kitchen.

After coming down, Yuki had asked if Sousuke could make a run to the store for a few items she had forgotten to pick up the day before. Turning on the stereo system, Yuki had offered that Kaname could help her with dinner preparations if she wished, having heard from both her children just how much she enjoyed cooking. Glancing over the island in the kitchen, Kaname had to wonder just how many people would be attending this little welcome party that they were having. A pile of barbeque beef skewers lay marinating across a large plate next to a small hill of corn on the cob. A nice sized covered pan of sesame chicken sat near the rice cooker with a pile of egg rolls on a large round plate, and a vegetable tray with a dipping bowl that had already been prepared had been set off to the side. Kaname was helping Yuki to assemble a large salad, and she had sent Sousuke out for chopped meats and packs of fruit that were meant for a chocolate fondue that would be assembled a while later after dinner.

Kaname was about to return to chopping the last of the carrots, when she heard the doorbell echo lightly through the house. Looking over toward Yuki, the woman turned and asked if she could run and answer the door while she finished slicing the hard-boiled eggs to go in the salad. Taking a small hand towel with her, Kaname dried her hands as she made her way to the door. Once the dead bolt had been unlatched, Kaname opened the door to find a beautiful woman on the other side. She had short, pale blonde hair that hung slightly over her left eye. Sporting a lovely peach satin button up over a nice pair of jeans, she smiled kindly as she introduced herself. "Good afternoon, my name is Nora Lemming, am I to assume that you are Ms. Chidori?"

"Uh, yes I am."

"Well it's fantastic to meet you dear. Is Mrs. Sagara available?"

"Yes, of course. Please come in."

"Thank you dear." It wasn't until then that Kaname noticed the large amount of shopping bags that had been crowded around Nora's feet. Varying in all sizes, Kaname had to repress a gawk at some of the names that were written on them as Nora passed by. _'Versace!? Neiman Marcus!? Armani!? What the- SWAROVSKI and PRADA!? Who __**is**__ this woman!?'_ Managing to remind herself to close the door, Kaname followed dumbly behind the woman as she headed for the kitchen area. "Hello Yuki, I have today's requests for you."

"Oh Nora, thank you for making such quick work with them. We're having a little welcome home party for my son, and I wanted him to be able to look them over in case he wanted to wear any of them now."

"It's really no trouble at all. Speaking of which, where has Sousuke gone? I would have liked to say hello while I was here."

"He ran to the store for me to pick up a few things, but he should be back any time now." Drying her hands, Yuki walked over to give Nora a quick hug. Noticing the slightly confused face Kaname was trying to hide, Yuki laughed at her. "I take it you're a bit confused about this, am I right Kaname-san?"

"Uh, w-well kind of…"

"As she told you, this is Nora Lemming. She's my personal shopper, and these are items I asked for her to find and purchase for me since I was too busy to do it myself. Normally I go with her and she helps me to pick out the items, but since you and Sousuke were here, I asked her to find a few things in my stead." Nodding in understanding, Kaname still had to glance wide-eyed at the numerous amounts of bags that had been set down by the back of the couch. The idea that such a petite woman could carry so many without any sort of strain or injury was nothing short of a miracle!

"Should I take any of these to Sousuke's room for you Yuki-san?"

"Oh no dear, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself! Nora, would you mind?"

"Of course not Yuki. I'll set all the bags in the appropriate rooms for you. You and I can look over the ones purchased for yourself once you're done with the salad." Once again Kaname forced her jaw to stay shut as Nora enabled herself to lift all of the bags at once and began her trek up the stairs to the bedrooms.

"Kaname-san."

"Uh, yes Yuki-san?"

"I can handle the last of things from here. I had her purchase a few things for you as well if you'd like to look them over?" Kaname was floored. Considering where the majority of those bags had come from, Kaname tried to hide the blush that arose from the gracious gesture.

"A-are you sure about this Yuki-san? I-I wouldn't want to impose or anything…" Putting on a big smile, Yuki stepped forward to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Please Kaname-san, think nothing of it. Besides, it's the least I could do for how much happiness you've brought to my son." A little taken back, Kaname stumbled on her words a moment.

"But I, I didn't really…"

"He may have had many friends Kaname-san, but we could always see that he was always a very lonely boy. I think that may be why he was involved in so many activities growing up. If he was kept busy, he wouldn't have time to think about anything else." Kaname felt her heart clench at the saddened look that passed over the older woman's face. It seemed almost painful, and Kaname tried to keep herself from joining her as Yuki wiped a small tear from her eye. "He's been so full of life since he met you Kaname-san. I don't think there will ever be a way I can truly thank you for what you've done for him. You know, I'm starting to think that maybe he was just biding his time until he found you."

Kaname's head lowered slightly, the warm feeling of tears forming in the back of her eyes. Her grip tightening on the small hand towel she held, she did her best to keep her hands from shaking as a few stray tears escaped her long lashes. It felt strange to be thanked for loving Sousuke so much, though, as her memory drifted back to the world she once knew, the thought that she could have heard something similar from him had the timeline not been reset had her holding her breath as she tried not to whimper. In the other time, he'd always been alone.

Ever the lone wolf, Sousuke had just been drifting through life, following his orders and trying his best just to survive another day. And to know that the Sousuke she was with now had been even a fraction as lonely as he had once been, Kaname felt her eyes burn with another flow of tears at the thought. It all made a sort of weird sense now; with all of the activities he was involved with, they were all somehow connected to his former self in the other timeline. The surfing could be connected to all the time he'd spent on the Daanan, the dance club and Kali being connected to the way he had once fought, his love of BattleTech from his obsession with the operations and mechanics of the Armslaves, his enjoyment of paintball connected to the way had once been forced to live. Everything that she had learned about this new Sousuke had ended up just being another way for her to discover that he hadn't really changed at all. He always was, and still is her slightly paranoid, military obsessed, otaku freak.

Kaname was brought back by the feeling of Yuki wiping away the tears on her face with the small hand towel she had once gripped so fiercely, a reassuring smile playing on her lips. "Please Kaname-san, there's no reason to cry over things now. After all, we have a party to get ready for, right?"

Sniffling slightly, Kaname nodded as a weak smile came to her face. "Then enough of these tears. We wouldn't want Sousuke to worry when he gets home. Go ahead and look over the clothes I had Nora buy for you. Feel free to wear any of them for the party tonight, alright dear?"

"Yes. Thank you so very much, Yuki-san."

"Good. Now hurry along dear." Still feeling a little emotional after her revelation, Kaname walked quickly to the safety of Sousuke's room before Nora could see her and question the few remaining tears on her cheeks. Spotting the bags that had been set on the bed, Kaname wandered over and began to go through them. Her eyes now completely dry, Kaname felt her jaw drop farther with every purchase that was taken out of the bags. All with ungodly numbers printed on the price tags, Kaname looked on in wonder at the clothes that had been bought for her. _'Ms. Lemming really has amazing taste!'_ she thought as she stared at the garments.

At least six different pairs of pants and skirts had been picked out, along with around ten shirts, a few accessories, a black leather riding jacket, a dark blue jean jacket, two pairs of fashion slippers and sneakers, and a pair of Doc Martens with a rose design embroidered on the outside of the boot. Even the accessories had been chosen to that they could be mixed and matched with little difficulty. Now excited at the thought of how Sousuke would react to seeing her in the new outfits, Kaname shed her clothing and set to work putting together the perfect look.

Not long after she had emptied the bags, Kaname descended the stairs to find that not only had Sousuke arrived back home, but he was sitting at the island with the music from the stereo turned up and waving his hands around as if he was playing the drums along with the song. His eyes squeezed shut; he continued to bang his head with the beat, unaware of the hilarious sight he made as he played along with the sounds of Poison's _'Talk Dirty To Me'_. Turning his head upon hearing his girlfriend's laughter, he sat completely still as he took in the sight of her in one of her new outfits.

Kaname had decided on an electric blue long sleeved shirt with a dark blue jean skirt. Under the skirt she had put on a pair of white calf-length leggings as well as the Doc Martens. Deciding on some contrast, she also had decided to wear the bright orange tiger print fuzzy belt, as well as the matching scrunchi that now held her long azure hair in a high ponytail. A three chain necklace hung from her neck, each one sparking in gold, bronze and silver before disappearing under the collar of the dark blue jean jacket. From under the left jacket sleeve, she also wore a set of bangle bracelets that matched the brilliant colors of the necklace. A light blush came to her cheeks as her boyfriend stared appreciatively at her from his seat at the island. "So, how does it look?"

"R-really good." Still caught up in the vision that Kaname presented, Sousuke never heard the front door burst open, nor the rush of pounding footsteps until a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck as he was tackled to the ground.

"SAGARA!!" Kaname's eyes nearly popped open as she watched the two boys literally fly across the room before sliding on the tile and bumping their heads on the wall near the sliding glass door. _'So __**this**__ is why Jindai's been so quiet!! Now all the competition between Sousuke and his cousin makes perfect sense!' _she thought as a once familiar head of tied back hair dragged her boyfriend up by holding him in a headlock. "There's no escape this time!"

"Geez Issei, when are you gonna learn that you can't beat me?" Faster than Kaname could spot the action, Sousuke slipped out of his cousin's grip and tossed the boy back across the room toward the front door. "Every time you keep trying to beat me, and it never works. Why don't you give up already, ya loser!"

Issei flipped himself back onto his feet and turned to stare back at the other boy with a determined look. Just as Kaname was about to intervene, their once fierce expressions softened, reverting quickly to laughter and manly hugs; noogies included of course. "So come on man! You haven't been e-mailing me! How are things in Tokyo? You broken any hearts yet?"

"Nah, brought my girlfriend home though."

"No shit? So you didn't have to dig your way to the South Pole to find someone who'd go out with you?" Grabbing Issei in another headlock, they wrestled for a few moments; the only proof that it wasn't serious being the boisterous laugher coming from the two until Issei's head was finally released. "So come on Sousuke, don't hold out on me. When do I get to meet her?"

"Why not turn around and see?" Kaname blushed as now both boys focused their attention on her, the familiar clear hazel eyes from behind his long hair gazed back at her, and she wondered how she never noticed that Tsubaki Issei had _not_ been seen at Jindai. It really had been all too quiet without the rather passionate demonstrations from the once infamous Karate Club Captain. Turning from Sousuke, Issei walked over to her and circled, taking in every detail and making Kaname flinch for a moment. Finally breaking into a smile, Issei met her eyes once more.

"Well you're definitely a 10 in my book," he said before turning back to her. A wide grin on his face, Kaname wondered just what he was scheming. "So how much _did_ he pay for you to put up with his stupid BattleTech rants?"

"Issei!"

"What? Dude, it's true! Once you get going on that crap, it takes a miracle to get you to shut up!" The brewing good natured argument was immediately quelled by the light giggles that now floated over from Kaname. Being able to see them argue again had reminded her of so many happy times. Memories of finding the two boys in a babbling daze after barely surviving the night against a crazed janitor surfaced. Those thoughts brought with them other times they had tried to outdo each other at every turn, regardless of what was going on, and destroying the school while they were at it. Though all of those times were now a world away, it was a constant relief that while she had to bear witness to all of the changes this world had, the people that mattered the most to her were still the same.

"No miracle Issei, just a halisen. A good whack on the head does him just fine." Before the boy could retort, an older woman came through the hallway, putting on a warm smile as her eyes found the two boys.

"Oh my, Issei did you tackle him without warning again?"

"It would have been weird if I hadn't Mom!" Issei blushed as his mother laughed at the antics of the two boys, trying to stifle it, when Sousuke crept up behind him and kicked his feet out from under him, taking hold of his arm and twisting it back. "GAH! Alright, alright man I give!" A confident smirk came to his face before letting Issei get back to his feet, taking the time to greet his aunt while Issei made sure Sousuke hadn't dislocated anything like he had in the past.

"Hi Aunt Ayako, miss me?" With a smile and a hug, Ayako greeted her nephew.

"Things are always more interesting with you around Sousuke. May I ask who this lovely young lady is?"

"Sure, Kaname, this is my aunt Ayako. Auntie, this is my girlfriend, Kaname Chidori." Kaname smiled back at the older woman, holding out her hand as they greeted each other. Ayako had a kind face, one that while it was obvious she and Yuki were related, held a beauty all its own.

"It's nice to meet you Ayako-san. I've heard a lot about these two and the trouble they keep getting into."

"Oh dear, then you know Sousuke dislocated Issei's shoulder two weeks before he left for Tokyo?" An intrigued look passed over Kaname's face as she listened, and when she glanced over to inquire whether or not it was the truth from her boyfriend, he suddenly found a bowl of tomatoes to be the most interesting thing in the world. Issei seemed to agree, as a hand practically flew to the back of his head, and his focus seemed to be toward some random point on the ceiling. "Boys, why don't you go and have fun in Sousuke's room while we girls chat for a while?"

If the two boys had been wearing jet packs, they probably wouldn't have been any faster escaping the over abundance of estrogen that had gathered in the kitchen. '_Kind of surprised they're aren't puffs of smoke in human shapes right now_,' thought Kaname as the last sights of the two boys disappeared up the stairs. Turning back to the two older women, Kaname noticed just how close Sousuke's family seemed to be. Everyone had a story to share with someone else, whether it was something about another's stupid actions or the fun they had at some exotic destination, the house she stood in seemed to be filled with the two things Sousuke had been sorely lacking in the other timeline. Unquestionable love and acceptance.

Finishing with the dinner preparations for the time being, Kaname joined Yuki and Ayako on the couch as they all talked. Sharing histories and precious memories, Kaname never noticed just how fast the time had gone by, and before she knew it, Yuki mentioned that her husband would be home any minute. Her apprehension coming back to her, Kaname could feel her shoulders tense up at the thought that Sousuke's father would not approve of her. As soft hand on her shoulder brought her back from her fears, Yuki asked her if she would please brave the odds and venture into Sousuke's room to retrieve her wayward son and nephew. Making her way up the stairs, a slight whispering could be heard from his door at the end of the hallway. As she neared it, she realized that they must have had the music player on, though from outside it sounded like it was turned on low, as soon as she cracked open the door, loud rock music blasted from within the confines of the room. Thankfully for the sake of world, the music rang louder than the more than obvious lack of vocal talent from the two boys as they head banged while playing imaginary guitars.

I'm the oracle in my chest  
Let the guitar scream like a fascist  
Sweat it out  
Shut your mouth  
Free love on the streets but,  
In the alley and it ain't that cheap now,

I don't care what you think  
Just as long as it's about me  
The best of us can find happiness in misery

(I said) I (I) don't (don't) care what you think  
Just as long as it's about me  
The best of us can find happiness in misery

I said I don't care just what you think  
As long as it's about me  
You said I don't care just what you think  
As long as it's about me  
You said I don't are (I don't care)  
You said I don't care (I don't care)  
Said I (I) don't (don't) care (care)

I don't care what you think  
Just as long as it's about me  
The best of us can find happiness in misery  
I don't care what you think  
Just as long as it's about me  
The best of us can find happiness in misery

As the music ended, the boys turned blushing faces toward the furiously giggling girl that now stood in the open doorway, their faces reflecting the embarrassment that neither would ever speak of. Kaname lightly drew a finger under her eye to catch a tear from her laughter, smiling at the two as their faces remained the deep pink. "Having fun Sousuke?" Apparently trying to make a manly recovery, he coughed and strolled over to turn off the stereo system before turning back to face her, his face still slightly pink.

"Nothing wrong with cutting loose every now and then." A few quiet giggles escaped as she watched Issei join in their defense with fierce nods of agreement. Flashing a smile at the other boy, she walked quickly across the room and landed a kiss on her boyfriend's surprised lips.

"You're so weird Sousuke." A small smirk replaced the shock as his confidence seemed to return to him.

"So what does it say about you if you are fully aware of this, yet you still love me?" How could Kaname _not_ smile at that? Remembering her earlier revelation, her smile widened at the knowledge that he had always used logic against her, whether he had been trying to save his own skin or if it had been what the situation had actually called for. Her smile lasting through another quick kiss, she messed his hair as she turned and made her way back toward his bedroom door.

"Then I guess we can be weird together, can't we?"

"Okay, this is getting a bit too sweet for me. I might get cavities if I stick around here too long." Issei complained from where he had leaned up against the wall. Though he sounded more than a little annoyed at having been ignored, just like his cousin, a smirk of his own had spread across his face, letting them both see that the comment had only been made in fun. Turning to retaliate, Kaname put a hand on her hip and flipped her hair, striking a pose that had both boys blushing all over again.

"Come on Issei, a little pain can be fun sometimes…" The look on their faces was absolutely priceless, and the echoes of the infamous 'uh' rang through the room. Kaname only lasted a few more seconds before the laughter inside refused to be contained any longer. "Alright guys come on; Yuki-san said Sousuke's dad should be here any time now. Let's move out."

As the three of them made their way back downstairs, Kaname could feel her nerves twitching. She'd never felt more nervous about anything in all her life, and her heart skipped a beat when Issei excitedly mentioned he heard a car pull into the driveway. Kaname tried to control her breathing, wondering if the warmth in her face was betraying the calm she hoped to exude. A hand came down to lightly hold her own as she held her knees in a near death grip, and though she knew who it was attached to, she was still very nervous. "Hey."

"Hm?"

"I told you not to worry. I love you Kaname, and I know he will too."

"But-" For the second time that day, her words were lost as he leaned over to plant a soft kiss to her lips. Seeing how calm his eyes were had helped her to loosen the grip on her knees, and the flip-flopping in her stomach seemed to slow. Smiling down at her, Sousuke stood and offered a hand. 'Well,' she thought. 'It's now or never.' Taking his offered hand as she stood, they both walked down the hallway toward the main entryway, and as they approached, the front door began to open. Kaname's hand tightened around his as the hinges creaked, and she corrected her posture to put on a more confident stance, making sure to stare straight ahead as she put her heart on the line. Finally, as if in slow motion, the front door opened.

"Hi Dad, welcome home."

* * *

**So how's that huh? Anyone else wondering where Issei's been? Well, he's been hiding in Santa Monica, as Sousuke's highly competitive cousin! All of their tales of reckless stupidity now make sense huh? Been having some schedule changes at work, so the remaining chapters will be coming slowly. But I promise that they will give a conclusion, and that we will be seeing a ton of old faces before this wraps up. Thanx again for reading, and I'll be back with more as soon as I can. Ja ne!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Well hello everyone! ^o^ After so very long, I'm happy to be able to post this progress on what was my very first fanfic! The hard part is over, and now I'm wrapping things up the way I want them to be. I do apologize for allowing it to take so long, but when you know A and C but have no idea how to get there, well, yeah...**

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the twists and turns this chapter will take, and since I've past the majority of the bumps in the road, I'll hopefully have up the very last chapter soon. Thank you once again to all of my wonderful readers who have waited so patiently for me. I love you all, and hope you enjoy the ride! ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 14 - A Fractured Soul**

"Hey Dad, Welcome home."

"Sousuke, I see you made it home in one piece. And thankfully so did my SUV." The tall man who had entered through the door ruffled her boyfriend's hair, a smile on his face despite the playfully condescending tone in his voice. He was taller than Sousuke, maybe by two inches at least, but the resemblance was incredible. It was almost as if by seeing this man, Kaname was seeing how Sousuke would look when he was older. Though his eyes were dark enough to be black, their faces were almost identical, and if it wasn't for the height difference and the far more peppered hair, she would have been certain that they were brothers instead of Father and son. Still a little nervous, Kaname moved to slightly stand behind Sousuke, hiding herself until she would be presented.

"Dad, come on. I'm not a kid anymore."

"Normally you tell me this right before you need to have something stitched or bandaged up. Planning anything destructive later that I should know about ahead of time?"

"Dad!"

"Prove me wrong and I'll take it back." Even from behind him, it was obvious that Sousuke had just rolled his eyes at the challenge, and Kaname just couldn't keep from giggling at the action. She doubted the Sousuke she had once known even had the ability to roll his eyes at anyone, much less someone who he viewed as a superior in any way. The small sound attracting his attention, Kaname shied away a moment, her hand tightening on her boyfriend's as her other came up to lightly grip his shoulder. "And who, may I ask, is this lovely young lady?"

"Ah, uh Dad, this is Kaname Chidori...my girlfriend." Carefully edging out from behind him, Kaname bowed to the man, repeating the introduction she had given to his mother not long ago.

"I'm pleased to meet you sir, Sousuke has told me nothing but good things about you."

"I could same of my wife about you Miss Chidori. So far it seems those assessments are all correct, though I would love the opportunity to find such answers for myself." Standing straight again, Kaname tucked some stray hair behind her ear as she felt herself blush. Though formal, he seemed like a nice enough man, and she really wanted him to like her. Offering her his hand, she was a bit thrown off by his strong grip, but smiled once her composure was regained. "Well Sousuke, it appears you have wonderful taste in women. No doubt you get that from me."

"Dad!"

"Now dear, leave him be. Both of you just got home, so why not take a minute to relax?"

"Aww, but Yuki, he hasn't been around for me to tease him in ages."

"Somehow I think you'll survive dear. Now shoes off, briefcase down, and why haven't I gotten my kiss yet?" Moving further in the house to properly greet his wife, Kaname turned when she heard a quiet knocking coming from the still open doorway. A girl with short reddish hair stood quietly with her hands folded in front of her, a kind smile on her face as she waited to be acknowledged. Kaname was just about to ask Sousuke who she was, when her aforementioned boyfriend rushed by her to give the other girl a hug, spinning her around for a moment before setting her back down.

"Sarah! You cut your hair! What's the deal? I thought you were still doing the foreign exchange thing in Italy? What are you doing back so soon?"

"I came back to see my Grandfather and I ran into your Mom at the store. She said you would be home soon, so I got permission to stay a little bit longer." As soon as Kaname heard the name he had called, the jealousy that had been building seeing him hug another girl was instantly dissipated. So this was the Sarah that he had been dance partners with before he had moved to Tokyo. Feeling better after her little revelation, Kaname jumped slightly when their attention immediately switched over to her. "Oh, who's this Sousuke? Is she a friend from Tokyo?"

"You could say that, yeah. Sarah, this is my girlfriend Kaname Chidori, Kaname, this is my partner from Dance Club, Sarah Miller. She was the one from the video that my mom left with me."

"Oh so this is her! Kaname I've heard so much about you from his e-mails! It's great to finally meet you! I'm sorry if I maybe gave the wrong impression at all, but I hope we can be friends too." Sarah's excitement was contagious, and despite her original hesitation, Kaname felt herself eager to also get to know the other girl. She'd had a feeling that Sousuke wouldn't really waste his time with snobby or mean spirited people anyway, but it was always a possibility that _someone_ had had feelings for him before she had come along.

"I hope so too Sarah, I-"

"Excuse me?"

"Hm?" All four teenagers turned back toward the door at the small sound, yet another ghost from a world now so far away made its way back into Kaname's life. Three of them to be exact, and it was the last of them that had her blood running cold. Even Sousuke was a bit nervous as they entered, though he at least had somewhat good reason to in this time. Despite what he had told her long before their arrival, it was her own secret memories that had her more on edge about the silver-blonde twins that had just walked into the entryway.

"It's good to see you again, Sousuke. You've been well I hope?"

"Uh, yeah I-I've been good, thanks Tessa."

"You're slouching Sousuke. Stand up straight. Men stand tall, not hunched over like frogs."

"Uh, yes! Sorry sir."

"Uncle, please! He's not a child! He can do as he wants!"

"Teletha, stop pestering Uncle Richard. He saw something wrong and _fixed_ it. He just performed a necessary service. I for one, thank you for doing so Uncle Richard."

"And I would thank you to not speak of my son so rudely while visiting _his_ home Leonard." So distracted by all the company coming through the front door, nobody had noticed that Yuki had come back to say her own hellos, arriving just in time for Leonard's barbs. Her arms were crossed, and the once warm grey eyes that Kaname had constantly seen were now cold as steel. There was certainly no denying where Sousuke got his eyes from now, especially since she too had once seen those eyes far too often when she had met him. Coming up to stand in front of them, Yuki looked at all three of them, her long hair blowing slightly with the breeze coming in from the still open door. "Leonard, you have so far been a welcome guest in my home, but talk down about my son, or anyone else in my family, and that welcome will be immediately revoked. Do I make myself clear?"

"You misunderstand Mrs. Sagara. I was just-"

"Don't think for one second that I buy any of that Leonard. I'm a mother. I have a built-in bullshit detector. Now you will apologize, or you are welcome to walk right out that door and keep going." Yuki hadn't raised her voice as she spoke, but even so, her words had been cold as ice. Kaname had to restrain herself from cheering the woman on and putting Leonard in his place. If she had known something like this was going to happen, she would have made sure to have some cheerleading pom-poms handy so she could do so properly, though for the time being she supposed it was enough to visibly withhold her laughter.

Finally folding to the steel gaze, Leonard looked away for a moment, a quiet sigh of defeat coming from him before looking back up at Yuki once more. "I apologize for my rudeness Mrs. Sagara. It was unwarranted for me to make such rude remarks." Holding her icy stare for a moment longer to make sure he wasn't trying to pull anything, Yuki relented. Even she could tell that Leonard had not sincerely meant his apology, but she would much rather spend the short amount of time her son was home with him rather than trying to squeeze blood from the preverbal stone.

"Thank you Leonard. Now would you three like to come in and join us tonight?"

"Actually Yuki, I was hoping to speak to-"

"Ah, I thought I heard a few extra familiar voices. How have you been _Dick_? Did the Eastern Coastal acquisitions go over well?"

"Yes, they did. And you should know that I still don't appreciate you calling me that."

"Then when it stops being true, you'll go back to being 'Richard'. Until then, what is it you wanted to talk about, _Dick_?"

"Alright, everyone out of my foyer already! Either come in the house or I'm tossing you all out on the driveway and running you over with every vehicle I can find!"

"But sweetheart, that sounds painful..."

"Whiner."

* * *

Raucous laughter sounded from the teenagers grouped around the fire pit, the waves crashing on the beach only a few yards away. The small fire pit had been set up by the boys as soon as everyone had finished dinner, and now, all but one of them was busy laughing hard as Issei retold the story of his last birthday party. "So my buddy Steve, he hands me some of the punch, and...hahaha!...when I ask him why it tasted funny, he said he put half a bottle of Vodka in the bowl!"

"Oh god no!"

"Oh man!"

"I know right? So then I'm like, _'holy crap, where's Sousuke?'_, and I look over to find him comin' over with some kid's skateboard!"

"Dude, Issei shut up!"

"No way man, this is the best part! So I tell him to put the board down, and he decides to try grinding it on the pier railing! Next thing I know, I see my favorite cousin fall face-freaking-first off the other side and into the waves!" Another round of laughter roared up as each one of the teenagers present could only imagine what a sight it had been to see their friend drunk off his ass. Even the boy in question seemed to enjoy reminiscing about how stupid he had been, in between playfully punching his cousin of course.

Things had seemed to calm down a bit after everyone had gotten settled, and Kaname found herself extremely grateful that Leonard tended to spend more time around the adults rather than those his own age. 'Geez, even in this world he's a self-righteous jerk...' Reaching down into the cooler for another soda, Kaname found that instead of being able to retrieve another drink, her hand was just momentarily submerged in icy water for a few moments. "Aw, we're all out of soda..."

"Oh we are? I can grab us some more. Miss Kaname, would you mind giving me a hand?" Feeling a bit apprehensive at Tessa's suggestion, Kaname decided that it was simply because she had been dreading their meeting since she had learned that she and Sousuke had a slightly more intimate history than the first time she had met them. '_It's strange how I know I'm in the same world, but it almost feels like it was on a whole other planet or something._' "Miss Kaname?"

"Oh! Uh yeah, sure thing Tessa."

"Shall we go then?"

"Yeah. We'll try and hurry back ok guys?" Picking up the mostly empty cooler, Kaname quietly walked a few steps behind Tessa, her thoughts lost on exactly how one was supposed to handle a situation like this. This was double what it should have been, that's for sure. For one thing, how should a current girlfriend act toward the previous one? It was obvious that though things seemed a bit strained between Tessa and Sousuke, that there weren't any hard feelings over their break-up. But then, in addition to that, Kaname was also faced once again with another friend that she had thought for a while might not even exist anymore, thanks to the TARTOROS machine and Sophia. Why did everything had to be so damn complicated for her?

Things were fairly quiet between the two girls during their trip back to the house. Tessa had replaced most of the melted ice inside the cooler, and Kaname had gone to the garage to retrieve more sodas. When it came time to load it back up, both of them kneeling in front of the cooler, Kaname decided to try breaking the somewhat thick atmosphere. "So, uh...you and Sousuke were together for a while before he moved then huh?"

"You don't have to push yourself to speak with me about anything Kaname."

"Eh, w-what do you mean Tessa?"

"Before we go back to everyone, I believe we should speak privately." Her face was more somber and serious than it had been before, and the look was making Kaname nervous the longer Tessa held it. Nodding despite the uneasy feeling building in her gut, Kaname stood and followed Tessa around to the side of the house, out of view of those on the beach, and anyone who might be inside the house.

"So...uh, what's up Tessa?"

"You don't have to pretend around me Kaname."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You remember everything as well, don't you?" The look on Kaname's face must have been all the answer Tessa needed, though with how loudly it felt like her heart was racing Kaname would have just as easily blamed that.

"Y-You mean..."

"Yes. I also remember another time, and another world, where you and I were among those known as the '_Whispered_'."

For as fast as her heart had been beating before, Kaname felt it skip a beat at the label that had once been such a familiar thing for the two girls. How any of this was possible was absolutely mind boggling! Not only did Kaname somehow recall everything, it seemed that somehow Tessa was able to as well! '_But then, if she knew, then why didn't she..._'

"I suppose you're wondering why I hadn't bothered to contact you before now if I had truly remembered everything, am I right?"

"Uh, well..."

"Hm, it's good to see you haven't really changed much Kaname. I must admit, the possibility of such an occurrence had me worried." So many things were flying through her mind so fast. Everything that had happened, everything that everyone had been through, all the pain and fear that had been caused...then that horrid machine that Leonard had built. Sure, it had taken away all the painful memories and occurrences for everyone else in the world...but what good was the damned thing if there were still those who hadn't had that luxury?

For so long Kaname had believed that she was the only one who had been left to suffer with the memories and uncertainties regarding those who had given everything of themselves in vain. Now, knowing that she wasn't so alone in that respect, the relief was overwhelming. She didn't even realize that she had begun crying until she felt Tessa embrace her. "Please, don't cry Kaname. I had a feeling you might also be able to remember what had happened, but can you understand why I hadn't tried to contact you before now?"

Nodding slightly, Kaname returned Tessa's hug, the comfort in realizing she was not alone in her curse causing her tears to fall harder. "Kaname, you should know that I still do not trust my brother Leonard. I have no solid proof as of yet, but the memories from this new life have not changed who he once was. The morning I woke up, and realized what had happened, I had to make sure of whether or not I was the only one."

"What? You mean he remembers too?"

"He has not said anything, nor has he gone out of his way to find out if I also held my memories as well, but since that first morning, Leonard's personality has changed. He feels far more dangerous now than he had been before." Tessa's warning sent a chill down Kaname's spine, sending the hair on the back of her neck on end. The relief she had felt just moments before was long gone, replaced by an intense fear and anger that history _could_ possibly repeat itself if Leonard truly did remember everything that had happened. If that was true, then he could very well try to reset the world yet again, or as many times as it took to make it how he wanted it to be. He might even succeed in making it so she could never again see Sousuke, or never even allow him to exist! Like hell she would just let that happen though!

"Let him try Tessa. I'm not the girl I used to be anymore, and he wants a fight, the he's welcome to try. I refuse to let him keep having his way!"

"But Kaname-"

"Tessa, Sousuke was willing to give his life if it meant I could have the one I had loved so much. If I refuse to do anything less than that just because I'm scared, then I don't deserve to have him love me."

"That is truly touching, my dear Kaname..."

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"You maybe think we should check and see what's takin' the girls so long? It was only a few sodas, but maybe they're having trouble carrying it or something."

"I can check on them for us, if you guys want?"

"It's alright Sarah. It's not a problem, you're a guest after all. I'll go and see if they need any help." Standing and brushing off the sand from his cargo shorts, Sousuke began making his way up the beach back toward the house. Before he could set foot on the patio though, Leonard stepped through the sliding glass door, closing it behind him as he made eye contact.

"Sagara."

"Yes Leonard? What is it I can do for you?"

"I have a few things I wish to discuss with you. Would you please follow me?" Without even waiting for Sousuke's reply, Leonard walked right past him and off toward the direction of the jetty not far down the beach. Figuring that his parents might be just as well to assist the girls if they needed it, Sousuke turned to follow the silver-haired boy, keeping a few steps behind him as he did so.

He and Leonard had never gotten along very well, even before he and Tessa had dated, and even though neither had ever really done anything to one another. There had always been an air of hostility between them, regardless of whatever was said or done. As time had gone by, Leonard seemed to believe that he was, in a way, superior to Sousuke, and it often caused more tension than necessary whenever the two of them were in the same room. Though, if Leonard had somehow come to the same conclusion that Sousuke had in wanting to simply dispel any bad air between them, then perhaps they could all get along for a change.

Sousuke followed Leonard as they walked along the top of the jagged rocks. The waves crashed heavily against the stones, splashing and spraying everything up to Sousuke's knees. The water was beginning to make his sandals slippery, and he had to wonder just how much farther out Leonard was planning on going. "Leonard, isn't this far enough? Any farther and it could be dangerous for us."

"I'm aware of that Sagara. In fact, I was counting on it." Turning quickly, Leonard brought the gun he had hidden in his jacket pocket and fired at Sousuke's arm. The bullet had just grazed him, but the blood was already seeping into the sleeve of his shirt. Still shocked that Leonard would do something like pull a gun on him, Sousuke used his other hand and put as much pressure as he could over the wound.

"Leonard! What the hell are you-?"

"You are always in my way Sagara. You are just as much a fool now as you were back when you tried to kill me on Merida!"

"What are you talking about? What did I ever do to you? I never tried to kill anyone!"

"You wouldn't remember, because you were just a blood-thirsty imbecile then. Unfortunate that the TARTAROS was unable to make you any smarter when the world was re-made. A minor glitch I'm sure, but this time we'll get it right. This time around, you will cease to exist completely, and all will be right with the world."

"What in the hell are you talking about! And put the gun away! You don't need to do something this rash! I'm sorry if you didn't like that I went out with Tessa and broke up with her, but if the two of us can still be friends, then why-?"

"A Neanderthal like you would _never_ be able to understand Sagara. Now do me a favor and disappear beneath the waves." Firing the gun once more, Sousuke slipped on the sole of his sandals as he tried to dodge it. Time seemed to pass slowly as Sousuke fell, watching as Leonard smiled sadistically, not even making an attempt to help him as the rocks and water drew closer. Falling hard onto one of the sharpened jetty rocks, Sousuke felt his consciousness waver as his body rolled, sending him down into the water.

"You disappoint me Sagara. For such an annoying cockroach, you were fairly easy to dispatch. Perhaps now you will realize which one of us is truly deserved to exist in this world."

* * *

The undercurrent was too strong. He had fallen into an alcove near the rocks, and the current of the waves above had turned it into a whirlpool, dragging him farther down the more he tried to fight it. Sousuke had always been a strong swimmer, but the currents he was up against were just too strong, and his lungs were already struggling from lack of breath. '_This is it, isn't it? I'm...I'm really going to die here...aren't I?_'

A strong swirl of water slammed his back up against the rocks, forcing most of his breath out as everything began going black. The pain from where the rocks had hit him, as well as the wound from where Leonard had shot him burned from the salt and minerals in the water. '_I...I'm so sorry...Kaname..._'

-You need to fight this. You can't give up, not when you have so much to lose now.-

_'Huh? W-what?'_

-You have bared far greater pain than this, now move before Chidori is lost to you again!-

_'A-again? What? Who are you?'_

-Open your eyes and see for yourself.-

_'But I'm-'_

-I said to open your eyes soldier!-

Cracking open his eyes slowly, the salt burned, but he wasn't in the sea anymore. He still felt nearly weightless, but instead of seeing blurred images of the ocean, what was before him was just darkness. Just as he was about to call out the voice he had heard moments before, a figure appeared in front of him. _'Who..who are you?'_ The figure turned, and Sousuke found himself shocked to find he was looking into his own eyes. The man before him looked just like him in every way, except that he wore a strange looking suit of some kind. It covered his entire body all the way up to his neck, and had red accents on the shoulders and legs. It almost looked like some kind of weird armor.

-I am Sousuke Sagara, and you and I are one and the same person.-

_'What? So...you're really me?'_

-Affirmative. I am you, and you are me. Though you are only one of many people I _could_ have been, had circumstances been different.-

_'What do you mean?'_

-I am the person you were; during a time when the world you know had been in a state of constant war. I am the memories of that world that have been locked away inside you.-

_'You're ...my memories?'_

-Affirmative. I was also the one who promised my life, and my love, to the woman you now cherish above all others.-

_'You mean ...you loved Kaname too?'_

-Affirmative. Many times we were willing to give our life to ensure her happiness, but like the kind person she is, she scolded us at the notion that we would so easily give in as such. Unfortunately for us, we realized we loved her too late, and our enemy stole her from us before we could do anything about it. So much time was lost to us because neither we nor Chidori were brave enough to admit our feelings to one another. Now, that man is still determined to keep us apart, and reshape the world into one of his preference.-

_'Reshape the world? You aren't talking about Leonard are you?'_

-Affirmative. He wants to re-make the world into one of his choosing, and Chidori is the key to making his wish come true.-

_'So he wants Kaname? Like hell I'll let him near her after what he tried to do to me! What does he need her for?'_

-Our determination is encouraging, but it won't be enough to protect her from him.-

_'What? Why?'_

-Leonard may be unstable, but he is not stupid. As long as he remains free, he will always remain a threat to Chidori.-

_'Dammit! Then what am I supposed to do!'_

-In order for us to help her, you must allow us to merge, and absorb the memories that you have kept locked from our consciousness.-

_'Allow us to merge? You mean that I would have to absorb the memories of this other world that you have?'_

-Affirmative-

'_But then ...what would happen to you?'_

-We are of one person, one soul. The fractured consciousness of our mind that I live in would simply become whole once more. By merging our memories, you will gain the knowledge that I possess, the memories that I hold would become yours, and then you would be able to better protect Chidori. The knowledge that we had gathered in both worlds served us well at that time, but with Leonard proving himself a viable threat yet again, we cannot continue as we have.-

_'But if I absorb your memories, what will happen to the ones I already have? The ones of my family and friends, the life I've lived up until now?'_

-You will still retain all that you have gained, you will simply gain what memories I have as well. Now, will you allow our memories to merge, or will you remain idle in this darkness and die while Chidori is taken from us once again?-

_'Are you kidding? If Kaname needs me, then I'll do whatever I have to in order to protect her! There was never a choice needed!'_

The apparition of his other self smirked, his eyes closing as he shifted to stand at parade rest before hardening his gaze once more, a fierce look of determination glowing from behind similar grey eyes. -I am glad to see that my spirit has not waned in this 'peaceful' new world. Now, pull yourself out of this god damned ocean, and kick that bastards ass!-

Opening his eyes quickly, Sousuke realized he had drifted to the sandy floor. Forcibly ignoring the burning in his lungs and wounds, he sat up and folded his legs beneath him, extending his arms above his head and jumping upward with all the strength he could muster. Clawing his way up the rocky side of the jetty when the current had begun to fight his ascent, he finally broke through, his emergence punctuated by a loud gasp as his lungs worked to fill themselves again. Pulling himself up onto one of the larger rocks at the jetty's side, Sousuke continued coughing up water as he tried to get his breathing under control. He was so tired, he had cuts all over from his climb up the side of the jetty under the crashing waves, but under the layers of his thick wet hair, cold steel eyes burned with anger and fury.

New memories of a world so like yet un-like the one he knew flooded his mind, and the anger inside him building to new heights at the full realization of who Leonard truly was. Before, they had simply been enemies due to chance, each of them choosing what was right and wrong and fighting for what they believed. Now, Leonard had assaulted him without provocation, and threatened to recreate that endless circle of misery once again. This new world would not approve of him forcing Leonard to pay his penance in blood, but that didn't mean it would leave Sousuke with no way to take his revenge either. Leonard would pay for his crimes, and Sousuke would return to Japan with Kaname by his side.

With a low growl in his throat, Sousuke stood and began making his way back up the jetty toward the shore.


End file.
